Everton plan talks with Jarrad Branthwaite amid PSV push and interest from Manchester United and Liverpool
Everton will wait until the summer to hold talks with Jarrad Branthwaite about his future amid increasing interest from other clubs, according to Dean Jones.
PSV Eindhoven, where he is currently on loan, offered £15million to make the move permanent on January deadline day, and Premier League rivals Liverpool and Manchester United are now both due to scout him, amid similar interest from Roma [Daily Mail, 8 February].
But the Toffees are not looking to make a decision any time soon and will instead wait until the season is over to consult with the player before making the next move.
The former Eurosport journalist told Give Me Sport: “It’s an interesting link, a lot of clubs checking him out because he’s been so impressive on his loan spell, but he’s an Everton player.
“The message from them is they intend to assess him at the end of the season, talk to him about what happens next and go from there.”
No rush
For once, it would appear that the stance at Goodison Park is a sensible one as waiting until the summer to deal with Branthwaite’s future makes sense.
There was some speculation that the loan move to the Netherlands would be cut short towards the end of 2022, but his place in Ruud van Nistelrooy’s team has become more established and his trajectory has been distinctly upwards since.
If things continue in that direction for the rest of the campaign then it would put Everton in a position strength come the summer if they are minded to accept an offer and take the money.
Losing him to Liverpool would obviously not be popular, but if there isn’t a future for him in Sean Dyche’s first team a sale back to PSV or to Serie A would at least bring in some cash the manager will likely need to spend on attack.
However, Yerry Mina’s contract is due to expire and both Mason Holgate and Michael Keane have been out of favour for some time and may also move on so there may be room for him at Goodison Park.
The year abroad looks to be giving the 20-year-old the chance to develop into a regular option off the bench at least, but an answer doesn’t appear likely for a few months yet.