Arsenal have contacted Everton over a £50m signing and striking an agreement could leave two Manchester United transfer plans in tatters, according to a report.
Man Utd wasted no time tabling their first official bid once the summer transfer window opened on Friday. Having previously agreed personal terms with Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, the Red Devils tabled an opening offer worth £43m (£35m plus £8m in add-ons).
Given Everton value Branthwaite at the £70m mark, it came as no surprise to see the Toffees swiftly reject the bid.
Sources have stated Everton could be willing to do a deal for £65m or even £60m. However, TEAMtalk has learned Man Utd don’t wish to overpay and won’t be pressured into forking out an inflated sum.
United have plenty of alternatives in mind including Matthijs De Ligt, Leny Yoro and Jean-Clair Todibo. News overnight revealed Man Utd have taken the first steps towards signing Bayern Munich’s De Ligt.
Nonetheless, Branthwaite remains United’s primary target in the position and the club are expected to continue their pursuit of the left-footer.
But according to a fresh update from the Liverpool Echo, a Branthwaite transfer may soon be off the table.
Arsenal disrupt Man Utd transfer plans
That’s because Arsenal made their own move on Friday when making contact with Everton over the signing of Belgian midfielder, Amadou Onana.
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Per the Echo, selling Onana to the Gunners would greatly lessen the need to raise funds before June 30 and as such, Everton would almost certainly refuse to sell Branthwaite for below their £70m target.
Even more painful for Man Utd is the fact they too have given consideration to signing Onana who is viewed as a successor to Casemiro. The Brazilian veteran showed worrying signs of decline last season and could be sold to the Saudi Pro League.
But if Arsenal get their way, Onana would move to the Emirates and not Old Trafford. The knock-on effect would be Man Utd miss out on Branthwaite too – unless they’re prepared to pay top dollar.
Onana wows Arsenal squad; £50m price tag confirmed
Arsenal are understood to have been monitoring Onana, 22 for a full year. The midfielder would be viewed as a younger and hungrier upgrade to Thomas Partey who is expected to seal a transfer to Saudi Arabia for a fee in the £20m-£25m range.
Partey is out of contract in 2025 and Arsenal have zero intention of offering the 31-year-old an extension. As such, the current window represents Arsenal’s prime opportunity to cash in and extract maximum value.
Arsenal have shown interest in Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes and Martin Zubimendi of Real Sociedad.
However, Guimaraes won’t move for below his gigantic £100m release clause. Onana is three years younger than Zubimendi and crucially, has Premier League experience.
Onana impressed in both Premier League clashes with the Gunners last year and it’s claimed his excellent displays were a talking point in the Arsenal dressing room post-match.
However, Toffees boss Sean Dyche doesn’t appear to be completely convinced by Onana who was often relegated to the bench in the run-in.
Indeed, Onana was named as a substitute in the late-season clashes with Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Brentford – all of which Everton won.
As such, the suggestion is Dyche would much rather sell Onana over Branthwaite and the Echo concluded a deal is there to be made for £50m.
If Arsenal follow up their contact with an official bid, not only will Onana elude Man Utd, but Branthwaite could too.
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