Man City considering hijacking Man Utd move for top transfer target

Manchester City could reportedly hijack Manchester United's summer move for one of the hottest prospects in European football.

As the Premier League season approached the final stretch, speculation regarding summer transfers is ramping up.

Manchester United are set to have a busy summer, as new minority owner INEOS - headed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe - looks to overhaul Erik ten Hag's squad.

One of the areas identified for improvement is defence, and Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite is the club's number one target.

The 21-year-old has enjoyed an excellent season at Goodison Park, building on the successful loan spell he had at PSV Eindhoven last season.

Branthwaite has attracted the attention of United and several other top clubs including Real Madrid and Tottenham, with Everton expected to ask for a fee in excess of £60 million.

That price tag could prove to be a stumbling block for United, meaning cross-town rivals City could sneak in and poach the youngster from under their noses.

According to the Daily Mail, City are closely monitoring the defender who has made 25 Premier League appearances this season at the heart of Everton's defence.

City are said to be admirers of Branthwaite due to his technical ability and confidence on the ball, drawing comparisons to England star John Stones.

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The former Carlisle man would also count as a homegrown players, and would help to regenerate Pep Guardiola's squad.

That said, there are currently five senior centre-backs already in Guardiola's squad, with the treble winners splashing £77m on Josko Gvardiol last summer.

Branthwaite would almost certainly be guaranteed more minutes at Old Trafford than he would at the Etihad, something that could factor into his decision, should Everton decide to sell.

However, United may need to offload a number of players this summer before they can commit funds to a big money signing like Branthwaite.

While he is exactly the profile of defender they want to sign, Old Trafford bosses are reluctant to repeat past mistakes and pay over the odds.

Topics: Manchester City, Manchester United, Premier League, Everton, Football

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a Sports Trends Writer at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He enjoys running, cooking and watching non-league football.

@alex_brotherton