Manchester United have made an opening offer worth up to £43 million for Jarrad Branthwaite that Everton are expected to reject out of hand.
Branthwaite, 21, has already agreed personal terms with United who have identified the young England defender as their primary centre-half target this summer.
United have now made an initial formal approach to Everton with a bid understood to be worth £35 million upfront with a further £8 million payable in add-ons.
But Everton are thought to consider the offer derisory and believe Branthwaite belongs in the same price bracket as the likes of Josko Gvardiol, Harry Maguire and Wesley Fofana, all of whom moved for fees in excess of £75 million within the past five years.
Everton face a fight to comply with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules and are unwilling to sell Branthwaite on the cheap but Old Trafford sources have indicated they have no intention of going as high as £70 million.
It remains to be seen whether the two clubs can reach a compromise during negotiations as United look for a long-term replacement for Raphael Varane, who has been released.
United face their own financial challenges this summer and have to spend wisely with a net budget of around £50 million plus anything they can raise from sales.
With a holding midfielder and striker also considered priorities alongside a centre-back, there seems little prospect of United lavishing the sort of fee they did on Maguire in 2019 when they paid Leicester £80 million for the England defender.
United’s new hierarchy, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, are determined to bring an end to an era in which the club were often criticised for overspending on players.
Although Branthwaite is United’s primary target, they are also pursuing a deal for Lille’s talented 18-year-old central defender Leny Yoro along with Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain despite a belief the player could end up at Real Madrid.
Jean-Clair Todibo at Nice, Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi and Trevoh Chalobah at Chelsea are among United’s other centre-half targets should they fail with moves for Branthwaite and Yoro.