BREAKING NEWS: Man Utd on red alert as European giants queue up to sign £25m Everton star Ten Hag want

Man Utd on red alert as European giants queue up to sign £25m Everton star Ten Hag wants

Champions League clubs are reportedly keeping a close eye on Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite ahead of a potential move for him in January.

It’s been a difficult start to the season for the Toffees, but Branthwaite has been one of the few positives for them. He has featured twice in the Premier League so far this term.

Everton picked up their first point of the campaign on Saturday, drawing 2-2 against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane thanks to goals from Abdoulaye Doucoure and Arnaut Danjuma.

Branthwaite played the full 90 minutes and dealt with the Sheffield United attackers admirably, but was unable to keep a clean sheet.

That takes the defender’s number of senior appearances with Everton to 15, and he is only expected to improve as he gains experience.

Branthwaite spent last season on loan with PSV Eindhoven. There, he made 36 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals in the process. He helped the Dutch side win the KNVB Cup and claim a second-place finish in the league.

He is also a regular in the England under-21s team, and helped them to win the European Championships earlier this year.

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PSV were interested in signing Branthwaite permanently this summer but were unable to meet Everton’s price tag of approximately £25m.

As previously reported by Football365, Manchester United have also ‘made enquiries’ about signing Branthwaite, so they are likely to be one of the clubs in the mix to sign him in January.

According to the Athletic, several Champions League clubs are keeping an eye on Branthwaite, but the report mentions no specific names.

Everton would be set to make a decent profit on the 21-year-old given he still has two years left on his current deal with an option to extend that for one more campaign.

As mentioned, the Toffees value Branthwaite at around £25m, but his price is only expected to rise as he plays more Premier League games, especially given the competition for his signature.

Ideally, Sean Dyche would prefer to keep hold of the defender. However, it’s no secret that Everton are struggling financially and may be forced into selling him.