Andy Cole believes Manchester United's history of overpaying for central defenders will embolden Everton to hold out for their asking price in negotiations over Jarrad Branthwaite.
United had a £35m opening offer, plus around £8m in add-ons, rejected last week, with the Merseyside club valuing the player at around double that.
A £70m transfer would make Branthwaite the second-most expensive defender in the club's history, behind the £80m paid to Leicester City for Harry Maguire in 2019.
Since then, the club also struck a £55 million deal for Lisandro Martinez and a £42 million agreement with Real Madrid for Raphael Varane.
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