This season, the 21-year-old has established himself as a mainstay in the Everton lineup, playing center defense with interim captain James Tarkowski.
Since Sean Dyche selected Branthwaite for the team against Wolverhampton Wanderers in August, he has participated in every league game for the Toffees, starting Michael Keane in place of the more seasoned player.
The defender, who is currently being spoken about as a potential future England international, led the Under-21 team to a 3-0 victory over Northern Ireland last week at Goodison Park.
According to TEAMtalk, Man United has put Branthwaite at the top of their shortlist when it comes to defenders.
This season, Erik ten Hag’s defense has struggled due to players that are out of form and several injuries that have at times left his team completely worn out.
Both Jonny Evans and Lisandro Martinez are out for the foreseeable future due to injuries they suffered in Copenhagen.
Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof have only lately recovered from injuries of their own, but Varane may soon be leaving because of the manager’s lack of interest in him.
A defender might join the team if Varane leaves, and Branthwaite isn’t the only candidate who has been mentioned.
According to the report, Man United is also scouting Goncalo Inacio, Antonio Silva, and Jean-Clair Todibo.
Todibo, who plays for Jim Ratcliffe’s team, Nice, implies that a transaction may be lot easier to complete given the two parties’ possible newfound friendship.
After turning into regular internationals for Portugal during the past year, Silva and Inacio are also gaining popularity, though none of the targets are expected to come cheap.
But if the appropriate offer comes in, Everton’s well-documented financial problems might compel them to sell Branthwaite.
In order to balance the books, the club had to part ways with Richarlison and Anthony Gordon during the last 18 months, and even those sales did not encourage them to become more active in the transfer market.