Manchester United are reportedly considering offering Harry Maguire to Everton in a part-exchange deal for Jarrad Branthwaite after their initial bid was deemed “ridiculous.”
Branthwaite is a top summer transfer target for the Red Devils, who have already made an opening bid of £35 million. However, Everton rejected the offer, holding out for closer to £70 million for the young centre-back.
Former Everton star Don Hutchison has suggested that United need to increase their bid to secure the defender. He also proposed that United might offer their former captain, Harry Maguire, to Everton as part of the deal.
Speaking to ESPN, Hutchison said, “£35 million is a ridiculous offer, they are low-balling Everton massively. If they plan to sell Branthwaite, the rumored asking price is about £80 million. Though it will likely drop to £60 million or £70 million, but they want a lot of money for him.
When asked about Branthwaite’s potential role at Old Trafford, Hutchison added, “For United, him [Branthwaite] and Lisandro Martinez. I think they’ll try and move Harry Maguire on – [he’s] on big wages, that’ll be difficult. They might even try and use him in the Branthwaite deal if they tried to bring him in.”
Maguire, who joined United in a £80 million deal from Leicester in 2019, has seen his playing time reduced in recent seasons. The 31-year-old has one year left on his contract at Old Trafford.
In addition to the Branthwaite swap deal, United are reportedly considering offering Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Crystal Palace in a bid to sign Marc Guehi. The Eagles have set a price tag of at least £65 million for Guehi. Who has impressed for both Crystal Palace and the England national team.
Guehi featured in England’s opening Euro 2024 match against Serbia, earning praise from teammate Jude Bellingham. “He was brilliant, He picked the lines amazingly. He led against two really good centre-forwards at this level in [Dusan] Vlahovic and [Aleksandar] Mitrovic, two really tricky customers. It will help a lot when he has [John] Stones beside him, one of the best around. “He was fantastic,” said Bellingham.
As United look to bolster their defensive options, the potential swap deals involving Maguire and Wan-Bissaka could be key to securing their targets.
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