Manchester United are reportedly in ‘advanced talks’ to sign Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, while there is an update on Myles Lewis-Skelly.

The Red Devilsare expected to be active in this summer’s transfer window, with club chiefs needing to sign upgrades in several positions.

United’s top priority will be to overhaul their midfield and they could make a couple of additions in this position, but they could also strengthen in defence.

Earlier this week, a report claimed INEOS have picked out seven players who will follow Casemiro in leaving this summer, and this business is going to leave room for defensive reinforcements.

Man Utd are linked with several options, with a new report from a transfer insider on X with over 700k followers claims they are working on signing Branthwaite and Lewis-Skelly.

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They said on X: ‘EXCLUSIVE BOMBSHELL ALERT: Manchester United insiders are CONVINCED Myles Lewis-Skelly is DESPERATE to ditch Arsenal and join @ManUtd.

‘ANOTHER jaw-dropping EXCLUSIVE just dropped: Manchester United are in ADVANCED TALKS with Everton for Jarrad Branthwaite!’

This report needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, though Lewis-Skelly is more likely than Branthwaite to join Man Utd in the coming months.

This week,a report claimed Lewis-Skelly has been ‘offered’ to Man Utd by intermediariesas he looks for more game time and is at a ‘crossroads’ at Arsenal with Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie ahead of him in the pecking order.

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As for Branthwaite, our colleagues at TEAMtalkhave shut down the aforementioned report, insisting claims of ‘advanced talks’ between the two parties are ‘nonsense’.

It was reported last year that Branthwaite could cost around ￡70m, and Everton are in a strong negotiating position after he extended his contract until 2030 at the start of this season.

And with Man Utd prioritising midfield signings, they could be forced to sign a cheaper alternative at centre-back.

European football expert Andy Brassell thinks they would be wise to target AS Roma star Evan Ndicka. He told talkSPORT: “If I was a Premier League club, I would be all over Roma for Evan Ndicka. I think he’s already a great defender and I think he’ll get even better.

“I think the situation where United are at the moment, if they get themselves into the Champions League, it’s been a great back end of the season for them under Michael Carrick.

“But they can’t allow what’s happened over the last couple of months and the positive uptick, in the context of, what I have to say quality-wise is quite an average Premier League this season [take their foot off the gas].

“They’ve got to really grasp that opportunity and they can’t be fooled into thinking that everything’s fine.

“They have to go out and make some good signings. And in terms of refreshing that defence, I think Ndicka would be absolutely perfect.”

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