Manchester United saw two bids rejected by Everton for Jarrad Branthwaite earlier this summer and the £52m signing of Leny Yoro will complicate negotiations further

Manchester United appear to have sacrificed their chances of landing Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite by splashing the cash to sign Leny Yoro.

United have committed to signing Yoro from Lille for an initial fee of £52million, which could rise as high as £62m with add-ons. The 18-year-old Frenchman is poised to sign a five-year contract with United after flying in to finalise terms and complete a medical on Wednesday.

The agreement comes as a surprise, with many in the industry, including Liverpool, believing that Real Madrid were in pole position to sign Yoro. He is set to become the second summer signing for United after striker Joshua Zirkzee, who cost £36.5m from Bologna.

The need for central defenders was clear for United this summer after Raphael Varane was released at the end of his contract. The club have since sold Willy Kambwala to Villarreal and are open to offers for Victor Lindelof, increasing the need for reinforcements in the position.

However, it seems United have burned their bridges with Everton over the potential addition of Branthwaite. Manchester Evening News reports that the Toffees have been emboldened in their stance on Branthwaite, having previously rejected two offers from United for the defender.

United saw bids worth £43m and £50m rejected earlier this summer, with Everton insisting they value the 21-year-old at a minimum of £70m. Having seen United spend £52m on an 18-year-old who has no Premier League or international experience, they are convinced they have taken the right approach in negotiations over Branthwaite.

Erik ten Hag’s side had tried to play hard ball in talks over the centre-back, insisting they only had a limited transfer budget due to profit and sustainability considerations. Yet United have since committed to spending a combined £88.5m to sign Zirkzee and Yoro to undermine their negotiating position.

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Man United have stumbled into a problem in their pursuit of Jarrad Branthwaite ( 
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Everton are selling Amadou Onana to Aston Villa for £50m and are therefore under no financial pressure to also let go of Branthwaite, who impressed last season alongside James Tarkowski. United have previously annoyed Everton by submitting a joint £28m offer for Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini in 2013 and will likely have to look elsewhere if they want another centre-back this summer.

United have been in talks with Bayern Munich over signing Matthijs de Ligt, but that deal has already potentially been complicated by Yoro’s arrival. Mirror Football understands that Ten Hag has told De Ligt that he wants him to play alongside Lisandro Martinez – a promise he might have to break now Yoro is on the scene.

Ten Hag has been able to boost his transfer budget by allowing Varane and Anthony Martial to leave on free transfers, while selling Kambwala, Donny van de Beek and Alvaro Fernandez. The club are hoping to net a further £30m for Mason Greenwood, which can be reinvested in new players.