Everton handed Jarrad Branthwaite boost for now as European giants prepare summer transfer bids
Manchester United are the latest team to be linked with a move for Everton defensive star Jarrad Branthwaite, as per Jacque Talbot.
But with the Premier League giants preparing for a summer transfer bid for the Toffees centre-back, Sean Dyche and Everton will be able to breathe a sigh of relief, for this season anyway.
If the Toffees were to lose the 21-year-old defender, there is no telling just how disastrous Everton’s season could end, with the threat of relegation to the Championship continuing to breathe down their neck.
Since returning from his season-long loan at PSV Eindhoven, Branthwaite has become a mainstay under Dyche at Goodison Park, with veterans Michael Keane and Ben Godfrey shunned to the substitutes bench.
He has started 17 of Everton’s 20 Premier League matches this season, making four further appearances in other competitions.
Partnering with James Tarkowski at the back, the youngster’s presence will be more appreciated than ever as Luton Town begin to pick up speed and threaten to leapfrog the Toffees, which would push Everton into the relegation zone.
And with Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City all on the horizon for the Everton squad, it could be a much trickier season than many hoped for. But the news that Man United are only looking at a summer transfer for Branthwaite will give Everton a much-needed boost ahead of these tough fixtures.
The price tag set on Branthwait is enough to deter any big European club from a January transfer, with many clubs unable to muster together the funds to buy him yet, which is why the summer looks much more likely for the defender to depart.
While Dyche has been unable to dismiss the possibility of departures this January, Branthwaite’s departure becomes more and more unlikely as the transfer window draws to a close at the end of the month.
And with Amadou Onana linked with a move away from Goodison Park, with Barcelona staking their interest, as per Mundo Deportivo, the 21-year-old defender is too much of a key player to lose at this point in the season.
In other Everton news, James Garner has made an admission about his performances.