Kevin Thelwell must move now to secure Jake O'Brien transfer after Everton contract news
Everton and Kevin Thelwell's primary aim during the summer transfer window will have been to keep Jarrad Branthwaite at Goodison Park.
While it hasn't been plain sailing, for now at least, the England international is still a Blues player and Sean Dyche's side have very little intention of letting him leave Merseyside before the start of the new season.
But a new contract update out of Goodison will have thrown the 22-year-old's future back into doubt amid links with Manchester United.
According to the Daily Mail (25 July), the centre-back has told the Toffees he will not pen to paper on a new contract unless he is offered a deal worth £160,000-a-week.
That was what he would reportedly be set to earn if he had made the move to Old Trafford this summer and Branthwaite has now given Thelwell and Everton an ultimatum around his future.
While the Blues may be willing to come close to those demands to try and keep their star man this summer, the recruitment team will already be putting succession plans in place as a precaution.
Will Everton sign Jake O'Brien amid Jarrad Branthwaite links with Manchester United?
One name that has been linked with a move to the Toffees has been Lyon defender Jake O'Brien, but Thelwell will have to move quickly to win the race for the Ireland international's signature.
Reports from France suggest Brentford are keen on the 23-year-old [Foot Mercato, 24 July], while Ajax are also understood to be ready to compete with the Toffees in the race to sign the former Crystal Palace man [Mike McGrath, 25 July].
With more and more uncertainty surrounding Branthwaite's future with each passing day in the transfer window, Everton cannot miss their opportunity to find a ready-made replacement.
Even if the England international doesn't depart this summer, O'Brien will finally offer Dyche a rotation option from the bench and allow him to rest his starting defensive pairing of Branthwaite and James Tarkowski.
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