Jarrad Branthwaite makes final Everton contract decision after takeover

Jarrad Branthwaite is willing to sign a new contract at Everton following Dan Friedkin's takeover at Goodison Park, according to the Daily Mail.

Sources from the newspaper reported on 27 December that despite the Toffees having yet to offer the 22-year-old a new contract as he approaches the final two years of his current deal, Branthwaite wants to stay put.

The Friedkin Group's takeover was completed on 19 December, but the Blues are unsure if they can make Branthwaite one of their highest earners with £130,000-a-week mooted in a strict wage structure.

Everton need to tie down Jarrad-Branthwaite for the long-term

Branthwaite has been given an £80million price tag by the Toffees in their attempts to ward off clubs such as Manchester United [TEAMtalk, 15 October], but that interest will only rise the longer his contract is allowed to tick down.

The centre-back is by far the most valuable (and most sellable) asset at Goodison Park given his age and upward trajectory, but Friedkin cashing in on Branthwaite would be disastrous from a PR perspective.

Manchester United and arch-rivals Liverpool, among other clubs, will however see the Blues' lack of a contract offer as their chance to steal in and offer Branthwaite an exit route on much higher wages.

Friedkin's takeover, coupled with the Toffees' stadium move to Bramley-Moore Dock next summer, are expected to be game-changers, but the here and now still requires careful financial considerations.

The longer a new deal remains unsigned, the more the vultures will circle, putting the onus on Friedkin to make a bumper contract for Branthwaite his first major on-field decision of his tenure on Merseyside.

In other Everton news, the Toffees are looking at bringing an international winger back to the Premier League in January.

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