What the ECHO knows about Jarrad Branthwaite transfer interest as Everton braced for serious offers

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2 days ago

Everton are braced for another summer of interest in Jarrad Branthwaite. The centre-back remains on the radar of several Premier League clubs.
The Blues rebuffed two bids for the 22-year-old from Manchester United last summer. Neither offer, with the second for a package worth around £50m, came close to meeting the club's valuation of a player who had enjoyed a stunning breakthrough year.
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The potential for the Old Trafford club to return 12 months on has diminished after their failure to qualify for Champions League football but interest from Tottenham Hotspur, whose Europa League final success over Man Utd secured a place in Europe's premier competition, is understood to be serious. Chelsea are also believed to be considering a move for Branthwaite, though it is Spurs whose interest is felt to be stronger at this early stage of the transfer window.
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David Moyes is eager to keep hold of the England international , who became a key pillar of one of the top flight's most stringent defences after missing the opening weeks of last season through injury.
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The Blues boss has set his sights on building the squad that will take Everton into their stunning new stadium around a defensive axis of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and the centre back pairing of Branthwaite and James Tarkowski. That plan has already been dealt one setback, with 32-year-old Tarkowski requiring surgery on a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the final month of the season. The operation is understood to have gone well but there is concern the recovery period could eat into pre-season preparations.
Branthwaite is under contract at Everton until the end of June 2027, having signed a new deal following his emergence into the first team in the opening months of the 2023/24 campaign. Everton, who signed him from Carlisle United in 2020, are in a strong position to rebuff speculative interest as a result.
The player, meanwhile, is understood to be content on Merseyside and appreciative of the opportunities Everton have provided him - and can continue to offer him with the move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
An offer of Champions League football could hold an appeal, but only if Everton are offered a deal the club deemed to be serious - something Man Utd failed to do last season .
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Ahead of the World Cup in 12 months' time, England manager Thomas Tuchel is yet to select him since he took over the senior national squad and, of those chosen ahead of him so far, Levi Colwill and Dan Burn will be competing in the Champions League next season with Chelsea and Newcastle United respectively. Marc Guehi will also be playing in Europe after Crystal Palace won the FA Cup.
Should a high-profile offer be turned down there would be an expectation of contract talks reflecting the club's value of him, given that his current deal was built around his status as a rising star within the Everton squad.
Given Branthwaite was bought for just £1m, any sale would be significant from the perspective of Everton's position in relation to the league's Profit and Sustainability Regulations (PSR).
The hangover of previous difficult years will still play a role in the club's PSR figures ahead of the June 30 deadline but, from the beginning of the new football financial year on July 1, Everton should have the freedom to be more ambitious in the transfer market.
The club's financial outlook has been strengthened since last summer due to the stability provided by The Friedkin Group since their takeover was completed in December.