Man Utd handed huge blow in Jarrad Branthwaite pursuit

Manchester United have been handed a huge blow in the pursuit of Jarrad Branthwaite following Aston Villa's decision to sign Amadou Onana from Everton.

United have been in negotiations with the Toffees for Branthwaite in recent weeks. They recently made a second bid worth £50m which was turned down by the Merseyside outfit.

It is now reported that Everton no longer need to sell the 21-year-old following the huge financial boost from Onana's £50m move to Villa Park.

Everton were previously holding out for £70m for Branthwaite, and they are unlikely to lower their price after the funds received from Onana's exit.

As things stand, United have no desire to meet the asking price and they may have to focus elsewhere to sign another central defender.

They are currently in advanced talks to land Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern, but manager Erik ten Hag has requested a second centre-back.

Lille have already accepted an offer worth £42 million from United for Leny Yoro, but the youngster is waiting for Real Madrid instead.