Manchester United's bid to prise Jarrad Branthwaite away from Everton could be scuppered by arch-rivals Manchester City, according to a report.
The Red Devils have been in strong pursuit of the England international for a number of weeks now but have so far been unable to meet the Toffees' £80m price demands.
Man United are understood to have lodged an opening offer of £35m potentially reaching £43m with performance-related add-ons, which was almost immediately turned down by Everton.
Erik ten Hag's side are not throwing in the towel just yet, but they will not be going as high as Everton's £80m valuation given that their starting budget for summer transfers is said to be just £50m.
Now, in another blow to Man United's hopes of an audacious deal for the 22-year-old, The Sun claims that the current FA Cup winners are at risk of losing out to noisy neighbours Manchester City.
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Pep Guardiola 'develops admiration' for Branthwaite
Citizens head coach Pep Guardiola, who oversaw his side's 2-1 loss to Man United in the 2023-24 FA Cup final, has supposedly taken a particular liking to Branthwaite's ball-playing ability and his defensive nous.
The ex-Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss apparently believes that the Englishman would be an ideal fit for his playing-out-from-the-back system, and he is 'pondering' a swoop for the Man United target.
However, the Citizens are likely to be quoted the same £80m fee given that Everton are no longer in a desperate rush to sell players, having now offloaded Lewis Dobbin (Aston Villa) and Ben Godfrey (Atalanta BC).
While the Toffees are still looking to trim their ranks, they will not be bullied into letting their star names go on the cheap and will stand firm on their valuation of Branthwaite, who has three years left on his contract.
The former Carlisle United man registered three goals in 35 Premier League matches last season to help ensure Everton's survival, but he was axed from England's final 26-man Euro 2024 squad.
Which alternatives are Man Utd looking at?
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Unless Everton drastically reduce their price demands for Branthwaite, the 22-year-old will not be moving to the Theatre of Dreams any time soon, forcing Ten Hag to scope out other options.
One of those is thought to be his former Ajax protege Matthijs de Ligt, who has never really found his feet at Bayern Munich and is thought to be open to trying out a new adventure in the Premier League.
Talks have reportedly been held with the representatives of the Netherlands international, although Man United are hopeful of eventually partnering him with Branthwaite in defence.
Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi, Barcelona's Ronald Araujo and Sporting Lisbon's Goncalo Inacio have apparently been looked at too, but once again, price could be an issue for all three.
