According to the Daily Mail, United have offered Everton a £50 million ($64m) package for Branthwaite - £45m plus £5m in add-ons. It comes as the Old Trafford club look increasingly likely to pocket £27m (£34.6m) from selling Mason Greenwood to Marseille, including a substantial sell-on clause, that will boost the summer transfer budget.

A first offer for Branthwaite worth £38m and a further £5m in add-ons has already been rejected. The improved bid still falls dramatically short of an asking price thought to be north of £70m and up to £75m ($96m), and is expected to also be turned down. Branthwaite is under contract with Everton until the summer of 2027 thanks to a long-term deal signed just nine months ago. It gives the Toffees a strong position from which to negotiate as there is no looming threat of free agency any time soon.