Sir Jim Ratcliffe refuses to pay ‘Harry Maguire-like fee’ on Man Utd target

Carlo Garganese

• 12 Jun 2024 16:30 BST
• 3 min read

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is refusing to meet Everton’s demands for Jarrad Branthwaite this summer.

That is according to Talksport, who report that the Man Utd part-owner is not prepared to pay a Harry Maguire-like fee for the Everton centre back.

Branthwaite is United’s top summer target for the defence, and negotiations between the parties have been ongoing for several weeks now.

READ MORE: Premier League summer transfers 2024: All the Done Deals

However, Ratcliffe has made it clear that he won’t pay inflated fees as he looks to avoid the mistakes of previous transfer windows.

Everton are asking for the same fee that Man Utd paid for Harry Maguire when they signed him from Leicester in 2019.

That transfer broke the world record fee for a defender and it was a price tag that became a burden on the England defender as he struggled to cope with the pressure on him.

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Talksport add that Ratcliffe believes he can get Everton’s asking price down because no other club are serious in their interest for Branthwaite.

Man Utd are in the market for at least one top centre-back in the summer as a number of their current central defenders are leaving.

Raphael Varane will leave on a free transfer, while the futures of Victor Lindelof and Maguire are not secure, either.

Branthwaite at Everton

Branthwaite has emerged as one of the most promising young defenders in English football over the past year or so.

The 21-year-old joined Everton from Carlisle in 2020 and has enjoyed a meteoric rise since then.

He spent the 2022-23 season on loan at PSV and impressed massively as they won the KNVB Cup.

Branthwaite returned to Everton for the 2023-24 season and became a key player as the club avoided relegation despite a points penalty.

He made 41 appearances this past season and was named Everton Young Player of the Season.

Branthwaite made his England debut in June in the 3-0 win over Bosnia and narrowly missed out on a call-up to Euro 2024.