Man Utd forced to shatter transfer record for Prem defender as astronomical fee demanded

Jarrad Branthwaite will reportedly not be available for under £100million, meaning Manchester United would have to shatter their transfer record for him.

United are not averse to spending massive sums on players, given they’re one of the biggest brands in football. Whether the big assets work out or not is another question.

In the last few years, Paul Pogba, Harry Maguire and Antony have all come in way above the £50million mark.

The £80million paid to secure Maguire’s services remains the highest fee anybody has ever paid for a defender. After a good start and a slump in the middle, the defender seems to be back somewhere near his best.

Antony, on the other hand, has not been close to his best this season. The Brazilian winger has failed to score or assist despite playing the majority of games.

An embarrassing report for Erik ten Hag was recently released, suggesting when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in charge, he swerved Antony – who United valued at £25million – as ‘significant development’ was needed for him to become a top-class winger.

A few years down the line, Ten Hag shelled £86million on him.

The £89.3million paid for Pogba in 2016 is still the highest fee United have paid for somebody, but that might not be the case for long.

Branthwaite will cost over £100million

That’s as the price of Everton defender Branthwaite, who United are big fans of, is rising rapidly.

TEAMtalk recently revealed, among other outlets, that the Toffees would ask for in the region of £75million for their star defender, as they’re eager to keep hold of him.

However, according to the i, that price tag has now risen to £100million.

It’s said Everton are desperate not to lose the defender, and receiving such a large fee is the only way they’d let him go. It’s unclear if United will decide to follow through with their interest either in January or in the summer.

Carlisle set to benefit in huge transfer

If they, or any other side – Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham have also been linked – were to pay the £100million the Toffees are demanding, League One side Carlisle would be in line for a huge pay day.

Indeed, they inserted a 10 per cent sell-on clause in the deal when they sold Branthwaite to Everton in 2020.

That means they’d receive a £10million fee if he commanded the £100million that the Toffees want.

That would represent another record – the most money a League One side has received in a single move.

That record is currently held by Leeds United’s sale of Fabian Delph to Aston Villa in 2009, in a deal worth £8million.

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