(Update on this situation here)
Welcome to the summer transfer window, Manchester United! According to a report in The Times, Everton central defender Jarred Branthwaite has agreed personal terms to potentially make a move to Old Trafford.
The report goes on to say that the two sides have yet to reach agreement on a transfer fee however.
Everton are said to have slapped a price tag of about £70 million ($89.2 million) on the 21-year-old, while the BBC claims that Everton will hold out for a fee of at least £80m ($102m).
And with a price tag that high, you obviously know that his salary will spike as well.
The agreement in place would see Branthwaite make between £150,000 and £160,000 a week at MUFC. “Theatre of Dreams” indeed!
Will United actually give Everton want they want though?
According to reports, United will not be paying anything close to £70-80 million for Branthwaite, and that means we could have yet another pointlessly tedious and overly elongated transfer saga.
Let’s see, United overpaying for an English central defender who plays for a mid-table to relegation fodder club that wears blue..hmmm…Have you seen this movie before?
Yes, it came out in 2019, and it was called “Harry Maguire Moves From Leicester City to Man United for £80m.”
You know how this goes. Step 1- a player agrees to join MUFC, and because it’s United, his club hikes the price way up.
Step 2- United balk at the asking price, make a lowball offer instead. Step 3- the deal “dissipates” or stalls out. Step 4- United end up paying the original asking price.
Try to act surprised when this transfer saga concludes.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.