Manchester United are reportedly planning to reignite their interest in signing Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite after learning that Leny Yoro is likely to miss the remainder of the year through injury.
Yoro had an impressive season for Lille in 2023-24 and was a target of Real Madrid before the Red Devils secured his signature last month.
United shelled out around £53m for the 18-year-old defender, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co aiming to inject youth into their squad ahead of the new season.
Unfortunately, the talented teenager suffered an injury in the side's pre-season match against Arsenal last month and is set to remain sidelined for the next three months.
Bolstering their defensive options has been a priority for the Red Devils this summer and with Yoro now out of action, United seem to be looking to bring in another centre-back before the transfer window slams shut.
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Man United return for Branthwaite signature?
According to The Sun, Man United are now planning to make a fresh bid to sign highly-rated English central defender Jarrad Branthwaite from Everton this summer.
It is understood that Erik ten Hag's side had made offers for the Toffees' centre-back earlier in the transfer window but had seen their bids knocked back as they did not match Everton's valuation of the player.
United's first bid for Branthwaite was reportedly in the region of £35m and the second was for around £45m, but Everton were looking for at least £70m to consider parting ways with their in-demand defender.
However, the report adds that the Toffees may now be willing to negotiate and an offer of around £50m plus add-ons could tempt them to allow the 21-year-old to leave Goodison Park this summer.
Branthwaite is believed to be viewed by the Red Devils as a potential long-term central defensive partner for Yoro and Lisandro Martinez.
The 21-year-old made 35 appearances and scored three goals in the league for Everton last season, and his impressive performances also earned him his first call-up to the England national team by Gareth Southgate.
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Man United to cool interest in De Ligt after incident?
While Man United are considering reigniting their interest in Branthwaite, they continue to be linked with another centre-back in Bayern Munich's Matthijs de Ligt.
Ten Hag admitted this offseason that United do have an interest in the former Ajax defender, who has dropped in the pecking order behind Kim Min-jae and Eric Dier in Bavaria.
De Ligt is believed to have already agreed to personal terms with the Red Devils and is keen to make the move to the Premier League, but a report from the Daily Mail claims that the Netherlands international could be in a bit of trouble with the German police.
The outlet reported on Friday that de Ligt is being investigated on suspicion of a hit-and-run after he is said to have 'rammed a parked car' close to the club's Sabener Strasse training ground on Wednesday morning.
The report added that the 21-year-old drove away from the scene before onlookers alerted the police. De Ligt's car was subsequently towed away and impounded.
Devesh Jaganath
