Godfrey sale adds new twist to United's swoop for Everton star
Everton have recently rejected an initial bid of around £40 million for the hugely talented central defender who has been linked with United repeatedly since the season finished.
For a while afterwards it seemed as though the Old Trafford club were considering other options as they sought defensive reinforcements this summer. Then more stories indicated it was back on.
Meanwhile, the Toffees have been wrestling with severe financial problems and pressure to ensure the club do not fall foul of PSR again next season.
Varying reports claim that the Blues are facing a significant points deduction again when the 2024-25 campaign gets underway.
The sale of Lewis Dobbin to Aston Villa and TV broadcast rights and Premier League payments, supposedly took some of the pressure off and gives Everton some breathing room.
In addition, the club is waiting for a resolution to the long-running saga over who will become the Toffees new owner as the latest prospective buyer The Friedkin Group are now in a period of exclusivity with Farhad Moshiri.
While some progress has been made here, it will probably still take quite a while before this situation is resolved, hopefully finally in a positive way.
In the meantime, the Blues have always had to consider player sales to balance the books and both Branthwaite and Amadou Onana are the two most likely to leave.
Today has come news that Ben Godfrey is increasingly likely to leave Everton for around £10 million. That could agin alter the situation with Branthwaite's sale. Might this further strengthen the Blues resolve agian?
If Ruud van Nistelrooy does re-join the club - where he scored so many goals a decade or more ago - then another bid for the twenty-one year old nicknamed the 'Carlise Kaiser' for his outstanding performances last season, seems even more inevitable.
The Dutch legend of course managed Branthwaite when he spent a year on loan at PSV Eindhoven in 2022-23.
That campaign in the Eredivisie was arguably the making of Branthwaite and took him from being a promising but still erratic and inconsistent player, to an England international now widely regarded as one of the best young defensive talents in the game.
However, although Branthwaite ultimately did make great progress -which Everton benefited from so much last season - there was a time when it seemed like van Nistelrooy was ready to terminate his loan early. That didn't happen in the end though.
At any rate, given the progress the centre-back has made he will still surely be back on the radar not only of United but other rival Premier League clubs too.