Manchester United have been trying to woo Everton's England centre-back Jaalard Branthwaite this summer, but the opposition club has a price tag of £70 million, a price that Sir Jim Ratcliffe cannot afford. The latest rumours suggest that United will hold internal discussions this week about whether to continue with the 21-year-old centre-back, and if they do, they may instead pursue the 'Toffee' Belgian striker Amadou Onana.
It is alleged that Branthwaite himself is keen to join Manchester United, which he believes is a transfer that would be good for him and has agreed to the conditions offered by the Red Devils. But these are verbal agreements, and if United can't get Everton to agree to let them go, nothing will have any effect, because according to the relevant rules, it is illegal to contact players at this time, and all agreements are null and void.
The rumored belief in the British media that the player's heart is towards Manchester United has no meaning in reality. The former Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise was played up all summer as how to have a "child dream", waiting for the Red Devils to call, but in the end he chose Bayern Munich.
According to the British "Daily Express", Manchester United are eager to strengthen the defence for Ten Hag and have vowed not to offer exorbitant prices. However, the real world is very cruel, and Rajue and INEOS found that it is very expensive to bring in Premier League central defenders, whether it is Branswaite, Crystal Palace's Mark Gaye, or Wolves' Max Gilman.
Everton's tough stance lies in their belief that Branswaite will not depreciate and that United's £43 million offer is unlikely to be accepted. They have a long-term contract with the England centre-back and are therefore in a strong position. Moreover, Everton can sell other players in the transfer market.
Ahead of 30 June, Everton had successfully sold striker Lewis Dobbin, who moved to Aston Villa for £10 million. Dobbin joined Everton at the age of 11 and is part of the club's academy and all of his transfer fee income will be treated as pure profit. In addition, England centre-forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin could move to Newcastle United for £35 million, and if a deal can be made before July, Everton's earnings report will turn into a profit.
Manchester United may abandon the acquisition of Branswaite from Everton, but could still be traded with the team, with Belgium international midfielder Onana the new target. Spain's El Mundo de Sport reports that Manchester United have made an offer to sign Onana this summer.
Manchester United are looking for a new defensive midfielder to replace Casemiro, who could depart from the club. They have recently been linked with West Ham United's Edson Alvarez, who was Ten Hag's main midfielder at Ajax. But Alvarez suffered a hamstring injury during his Copa America appearance for Mexico that could hamper United's plans.
Le Monde Sport claims that United are willing to pay €55 million for the signing of Amadou Onana, equivalent to a fixed transfer fee of £46.5 million, plus a floating clause of €5 million (£4.2 million).
Barcelona are interested in Onana Jr., but they cannot afford to sign him unless they can sell a couple of high-profile stars, with Arsenal and Chelsea also being admirers of the former Lille player. Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez praised Onana as a truly exciting player.
Onana, 23, shares the same surname as Manchester United's Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana, but the two are not directly related. The defender Onana was born in Senegal, the son of a Senegalese mother and a Cameroonian father. Amadou Onana immigrated to Belgium at the age of 11 and became a Belgian citizen. Fluent in Wolof, French, Dutch, German and English, Onana made 37 appearances for Everton last season, scoring three goals.
The Belgian midfield is best attributed to midfield defence, winning 66 per cent of duels last season, including 74 per cent of aerial duels winning 74 per cent. He averaged 2.4 tackles per game and more than five possessions. Onana has only conceded 6.8 goals per game and will be a difficult player to break through, averaging 0.7 times per game, and will be an excellent replacement for Casemiro.