Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is reportedly eyeing a move for one of his former defensive proteges as an alternative to number one target Jarrad Branthwaite.
The Red Devils identified the Everton man as their top priority for a summer defensive reinforcement, but they are currently nowhere near meeting the Toffees' massive price demands.
Ten Hag's men apparently came forward with an opening bid of £35m, which could have reached up to £43m with performance-related add-ons, but Everton immediately laughed their approach off.
The Toffees reportedly believe that Branthwaite should command a similar fee to Harry Maguire and Josko Gvardiol, meaning that it could take up to £80m to prise him away from Goodison Park.
The Red Devils have not dropped their interest in Branthwaite completely, but as they are only working with a starting budget of around £50m for the summer window, a transfer is highly unlikely to materialise.
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Ten Hag 'wants Matthijs de Ligt' at Man United
According to talkSPORT, the Red Devils are still attentive to the situation of Bayern Munich's Matthijs de Ligt, whom Ten Hag oversaw the development of during their successful time at Ajax.
The Dutch defender was a cornerstone of the Amsterdam outfit of 2018-19 that reached the Champions League semi-finals, before being sold to Italian giants Juventus in a big-money deal.
De Ligt has since represented Bayern Munich for the past two seasons but has endured mixed fortunes at the Allianz Arena, where he has five goals and two assists to show from 73 matches in all tournaments.
The 24-year-old was not always a favourite of Thomas Tuchel, and it is unclear whether the arrival of former centre-back Vincent Kompany could lead to a turnaround in fortunes for him in 2024-25.
Regardless, Man United have supposedly learned that a deal to bring De Ligt to the Theatre of Dreams is 'realistic', and the defender himself is keen to try out a new challenge at this stage of his career.
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De Ligt's Bayern deal still has three years left to run, but the German giants would not be expected to demand the same £80m that Everton are asking for for Branthwaite.
Despite his recent troubles at club level, De Ligt was included in the Netherlands' Euro 2024 squad, but he was an unused substitute in the group stage, where Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Ake and Stefan de Vrij were preferred at the back.
What other Branthwaite alternatives are out there?
As well as De Ligt, there is still a glimmer of hope that Man United could capture Nice's Jean-Clair Todibo, as they have reportedly taken the fight to UEFA over ownership rules stating that a deal cannot materialise.
Lille's Leny Yoro and Barcelona's Ronald Araujo are also said to be of interest, although the former is thought to have his heart set on joining Real Madrid either this summer or the next.
Closer to home, Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi could be a viable alternative, although the Eagles could set their starting price at around £60m.
Ben Knapton
