Everton remain in the dark regarding claims that Manchester United executives are being permitted to visit their new stadium this week. According to a report in the Sunday Mirror, Manchester United are sending top officials to inspect the 52,888-capacity stadium, which Everton will move into at the beginning of the 2025/26 season. The delegation is expected to visit the Bramley-Moore Dock site in Liverpool early this week as part of their plans for a new Old Trafford.
The report also mentioned that it’s uncertain whether Sir Jim Ratcliffe, head of football operations and part-owner, will be part of the visiting group. However, senior officials are set to meet Everton counterparts and members of the construction team. Ratcliffe, founder of the INEOS group, aims to create a 90,000-seat “Wembley of the North” at Old Trafford, following the approval of his deal to buy 25% of the club earlier this year.
When contacted by the ECHO, Everton insiders expressed confusion over the claims of a Manchester United delegation visiting their future home by the Mersey, stating that no one at Everton knows anything about such a visit and there is nothing scheduled. An article in the Independent earlier this year quoted an Everton employee joking, “We all joke that you need a letter from the Pope to get in, it’s so difficult these days,” referring to the stringent access requirements to the new stadium construction site.
Everton officials are also reportedly unimpressed with Manchester United’s pursuit of Jarrad Branthwaite this summer. Two offers from Manchester United, both significantly below Everton’s valuation of the player, have been rejected, amid assertions from Old Trafford that Ratcliffe and his team would “not be held to ransom” over the England international defender.
Manchester United’s two bids for Branthwaite—£35 million plus add-ons and £45 million plus add-ons—were both turned down. Everton insist they will not be pressured into selling Branthwaite cheaply and plan to keep him next season unless an exceptional offer is made.
Given the £80 million fee Manchester United paid for Harry Maguire in 2019, the £75 million Chelsea paid for Wesley Fofana in 2022, and the £77 million Manchester City paid for Josko Gvardiol in 2023, Everton believe Branthwaite is in a similar price range, especially considering the premium for left-footed defenders and homegrown talent.
