Manchester United transfer plan hit by Everton sale and Newcastle could now suffer too

Manchester United missed out on signing Jarrad Branthwaite in the summer

Manchester United may have a tough time persuading Everton to part with star defender Jarrad Branthwaite, according to recent reports and that may have a knock-on effect on Newcastle United.

Everton is on the brink of being taken over by American businessman Daniel Friedkin after agreeing to buy Farhad Moshiri's 94 percent stake. The Red Devils had shown strong interest in the England defender following his standout season with the Merseyside club in their fight for survival.

During the summer transfer window, Erik ten Hag's team were on the hunt for significant reinforcements as the new football hierarchy, consisting of Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox, embarked on their first venture since arriving at Old Trafford. Branthwaite was identified as one of the defensive targets, along with Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt.

Everton turned down two offers from their North West rivals in the summer, with the second bid believed to be around £50million. Football Insider has reported that sources have informed them that the potential new owner is eager not to send the wrong message to Everton supporters or their Premier League competitors by selling the 22 year old, reports the Manchester Evening News.

It has been suggested before that United could revisit negotiations for the England international, but if the latest reports are accurate, Ten Hag faces the challenging task of convincing Everton to agree to a sale, which is unlikely. There have been suggestions Man Utd will start to look elsewhere, with growing reports they will push in January to get a deal done for Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi.

Newcastle tried to convince Palace to sell the player in the summer and were left frustrated as a deal could not be done, but with Eddie Howe having made a big play to get the England centre-back, there was an expectation the Mags could revisit the deal in January or next summer. That option may not remain with the Red Devils said to be preparing a £62m bid to get a deal secured for the start of the January transfer window.

Manager Sean Dyche has welcomed Jarrad Branthwaite back into the Everton squad with open arms after his return from groin surgery. Speaking of Branthwaite who saw action in the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday, Dyche shared, "First things first, in allowing him the chance to get in and play as we did today and allow him to get to full Premier League fitness," adding, "I don't think there's too much wrong with his game so I'll just monitor him as I see it and so will the staff."

He further emphasized, "The nuts and bolts as I call it we attacked last season, all the simple stuff, well it seems simple but it's important, so we'll see how it goes. But the first thing is to get him full Premier League fit. I think he has done well to come through that today."