- Manchester City are keeping an eye on Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite
- The 21-year-old is expected to make his England debut against Belgium
- England’s 2004 European Championship team were great on paper, but they didn’t win. Can this crop do it this summer? Listen to the It all starts podcast
Manchester City is monitoring developments with Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite.
The 21-year-old has had an excellent season despite Everton’s ongoing relegation battle and is set to make his full England debut against Belgium this week.
His performances have caught the attention of a number of top sides and City have also shown their interest.
The Premier League champions have no shortage of top-class centre-backs, underlined by the fact that £77million summer signing Josko Gvardiol is yet to establish himself as a regular.
However, in their intention to keep the competition high, they are keeping an eye on Branthwaite’s progress, especially as he is homegrown, of his age and shows technical attributes similar to those of John Stones, who competed this season midfield has been deployed.
Manchester City are monitoring the development of Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite
Branthwaite is set to make his England debut in Tuesday’s match against Belgium
Pep Guardiola’s City could face competition for Branthwaite from rivals Manchester United
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City’s neighbors Manchester United took the lead in signing Branthwaite this summer, while Tottenham and Real Madrid have also expressed their interest.
The problem for United could be Everton’s price tag, with the Goodison club wanting more than £60m if they sell.
Ideally, United are looking to offload a number of players this summer to help fund a revamp of their squad.
They want players with a younger profile as they want to build a new team to challenge in the coming years. Branthwaite fits in with that, but they also want value for their money.