Man Utd favourites to sign young Premier League centre-back

Manchester United have moved into pole position to land Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite during the summer, according to Daily Mail.

The 21-year-old has developed leaps and bounds since his loan spell with PSV Eindhoven. He is currently one of the best young defenders.

United have been monitoring his progress since his time at PSV and they are prepared to step up their interest with a formal bid very soon.

Daily Mail claim that Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool are also monitoring him, but the Red Devils have shown the most interest in him.

The Mancunian giants are leading the race for the centre-back, but he is unlikely to come on the cheap when the transfer window reopens.

Everton plan to use Wesley Fofana's £75 million to Chelsea as the benchmark and are likely to demand a similar fee to sell Branthwaite.

United may need to recoup funds from player sales first as they are currently close to breaching the Financial Fair Play limits.