Ten Hag seething as Man City barge Man Utd aside for classy £80m-rated Premier League star

Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag and Man City manager Pep Guardiola

Manchester City are ready to launch an offer to beat Manchester United to the signing of Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite and why a move to take the 21-year-old to the Etihad Stadium is more likely has been revealed.

The Red Devils are determined to add to their squad this summer after a hugely-indifferent season last time out. While crashing out of the Champions League  – and Europe altogether – before Christmas and having then finished eighth in the Premier League, in what was their all-time worst finish in the competition, Manchester United salvaged some wreckage from their season by winning the FA Cup.

The manner of their performance that day, coupled with the fact that it was Ten Hag’s second piece of silverware in two years, effectively spared the Dutchman from the sack.

However, a decision to keep him in situ still took almost another two weeks to arrive, with United in the meantime holding in-depth conversations with would-be replacement, Thomas Tuchel.

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In the end, though, United’s minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe decided to not only stand by his man, but also enter into new contract talks with the 54-year-old.

Ten Hag is yet to agree terms on the new deal, which TEAMtalk understands is proposed to run through to summer 2027, though does hope to retain a major say on transfer incomings and outgoings as part of that arrangement.

As it stands, they remain being overseen by Ratcliffe, though that is about to change with the imminent appointment of Dan Ashworth as sporting director with a compensation package with Newcastle finally agreed.

Jarrad Branthwaite: Man Utd mulling over improved second bid

The Dutchman, though, is in agreement with those in power at Old Trafford in that United need at four priority signings this summer with a centre-half, a midfielder, a striker and a right-sided attacker all on their summer wishlist.

In terms of the latter, United have had long-term ambitions to sign Michael Olise and reports over the weekend revealed they still hope to hijack Bayern Munich’s deal to sign the Crystal Palace star.

However, it is moves on the centre-half front that have already sprung into life with Ratcliffe clearing the decks for a new arrival by allowing the £340,000 a week Raphael Varane to walk away at the end of his contract.

To that end, United have already seen a cheeky opening offer for Branthwaite rejected by Everton, though Ratcliffe’s opening gambit of £38m, plus £5m in add-ons, was quickly dismissed by Everton, who value the player for at least a minimum £70m and nearer the £80m mark.

United had planned to launch an improved offer to sign the player in the coming weeks with Ratcliffe and Ten Hag both in agreement over the 21-year-old’s qualities.

However, Everton’s determination to stand by their valuation means a deal would be difficult for United to reach and especially with cheaper alternatives, like Matthijs De Ligt, among those being strongly considered.

Two reasons why Man City can beat Man Utd to Branthwaite signing

Now it’s reported by The Sun that Manchester City are ready to jump in and succeed where United have failed in trying to seal a deal for Branthwaite.

And it’s understood that a move to City could be reached for two crucial reasons in a move that would leave Ten Hag seething.

Firstly, City are said to be ready to launch an offer far closer to Everton’s asking price and in excess of what any second offer from United would be, effectively meaning the Red Devils would be priced out of the possible deal.

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And secondly, while Branthwaite has given the green light to sign for United, the player does have ambitions to play in the Champions League and break into the England squad on a regular basis. And having narrowly missed out on Euro 2024 selection, the player knows that a move to the blue half of Manchester would allow him to play at the highest level sooner and potentially fastrack him into national selection that bit sooner.

As for City boss Pep Guardiola, he is said to be impressed by both Branthwaite’s defensive qualities and his ability to play out from the back.

That said, the Cityzens are extremely well blessed for central defensive options with Manuel Akanji, John Stones, Nathan Ake and Josko Gvardiol all capable of playing there.