Omar Berrada’s brilliant explanation why Man United pulled out of deal for key target, “a level below”

Omar Berrada has provided a brilliant explanation as to why Manchester United pulled out of a deal for a key target in the summer transfer window.

Since the INEOS takeover, Manchester United has undergone significant changes behind the scenes, with the appointment of Omar Berrada as chief executive being particularly notable.

Following the tenures of former CEOs Ed Woodward and Richard Arnold, the club has recruited one of Manchester City’s most respected executives.

Alongside Dan Ashworth as sporting director and Jason Wilcox as technical director, Berrada is set to play a crucial role in shaping United’s new project at Old Trafford in the coming years.

It was a successful first summer window under the new regime, with five first-team signings for Erik ten Hag’s squad. Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte and Joshua Zirkzee joined the club.

However, there were some key targets who did not end up joining due to the approach set by the new hierarchy.

Omar Berrada’s brilliant explanation for Jarrad Branthwaite situation

Jarrad Branthwaite was one of the club’s most prominent targets for the summer window. The left-footed Everton centre-back was high on INEOS’ list, and the player quickly agreed personal terms for an Old Trafford move.

Things got complicated once United’s opening bid for the defender was rejected and Everton explained that they would not budge from their valuation, which was over £70 million.

Various reports explained that Everton’s reasoning for this was partly due to the recent signing of Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig to Manchester City for around £77 million.

A new ESPN report explains that Berrada had insisted that United take a ‘firm stance’ on price in the transfer market.

It was detailed that the chief executive and his team valued Branthwaite between £50-60 million and had a clear explanation as to why he was not on the same scale as Gvardiol.

Berrada saw Branthwaite at a level below the City defender, considering the English international’s lack of experience.

Gvardiol had already stood out in the Champions League and at the 2022 World Cup before his big-money move, while Branthwaite has been fighting relegation in the Premier League.

The report concluded that Branthwaite would have been signed if Everton had reduced their demands, but United were not prepared for negotiations to drag on and so decided to move on.

The correct move

While many supporters would have liked the club to sign the 21-year-old defender, they brought in Yoro and De Ligt instead while keeping their hardline approach intact.

United will be missing out on some targets going forward simply because they are not prepared to meet price tags that include some of the ‘United tax’ that was built under the Glazer ownership.

Yet, it is the right move and will help the club build a stronger reputation in the market, which is something that every fan has been asking for.

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