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Everton loanee Jarrad Branthwaite addresses transfer rumours with Manchester United and Liverpool after scouts spotted
Everton loanee Jarrad Branthwaite has admitted he has taken notice of transfer interest from Manchester United and arch-rivals Liverpool, in an interview with The Mirror.
The 20-year-old has been a standout player for Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven while on loan, with the Daily Mail (8 February) reporting that scouts from Liverpool, Manchester United and Roma have all been to Holland to watch the young defender ply his trade.
Sean Dyche also confirmed that he had been in conversation with the centre-back while he was playing out on loan at Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side, but no decision has surfaced yet about his future.
Speaking to The Mirror, Branthwaite admitted that it was hard to ignore the transfer links between himself and Europe’s elite but that he was fully focused on his football right now.
He said: “I think when all of those clubs are interested and watching your games, it’s gonna be one of them where you take notice.
“But for me it’s just about playing the games. The first half of the season, I wasn’t playing as many as I wanted, but now I’m just fully focused on doing that and performing the best I can.”
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Hard to ignore
The 20-year-old has stepped up his game in the Dutch league this season and now looks primed for a return to English football in the summer transfer window.
Whether the Toffees can ward off the advances of Manchester United and close rivals Liverpool remains unclear, with a lucrative bid likely to arrive at some point for the defenders’ services.
The loan out to PSV was one of the few good pieces of business that Everton have brokered in the past few years, and he could now be primed to take the reins from the likes of Conor Coady at Goodison Park.
The Toffees must try their best to secure the loanee’s future beyond this season, with Branthwaite looking like the type of player who could take the club into a new era under Dyche.
Branthwaite has a huge future, but whether it is on the blue side of Merseyside is yet to be seen.