Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly ‘confident’ of beating Manchester United in the race to sign Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite this summer, as per Football Insider.
The Lilywhites started the campaign with a thin defensive department and following Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven’s absence, they were left without any recognised centre-back at one stage of this season.
So, Ange Postecoglou decided to strengthen the backline by purchasing Radu Dragusin from Genoa in this winter window. However, it appears although they opted to sign a defender last month, the North London club are still looking to add another one ahead of next campaign.
A few names have been linked with a move to the newly renovated White Hart Lane in recent times with Branthwaite being among them. However, it has been suggested that Man Utd are also keen on bolstering their defence by signing a new centre-back. They have also been looking at several defensive options with Branthwaite on their radar as well.
However, according to the report by Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur are ‘confident’ they will be able to beat the Red Devils in this race.
Battle
It has been suggested that Everton are in financial difficulties so they could be forced to cash-in on him this summer but they aren’t willing to let Branthwaite leave for cheap and want at least £75m. So, Tottenham or Man Utd will have to splash a huge fee to lure the Englishman away from Goodison Park.
However, Football Insider states that Spurs are not put off by the valuation and they feel they are in a strong financial situation to sign Branthwaite by matching the Toffees’ asking price.
Following a successful loan stint at PSV Eindhoven last term, the 21-year-old has managed to establish himself as an integral part of Sean Dyche’s starting eleven this term.
The defender, standing at 6ft 5in tall, is quick, strong, good in the air, comfortable playing out from the back, excellent in defensive contributions and also reads the game well.
The Everton star is a highly talented player and possesses the potential to become a top-class defender in future. So, he would be a great coup for Tottenham or Man Utd if either club manage to secure his signature.
It is going to be interesting to see whether the North London club can eventually manage to beat the Red Devils in this race if they go head-to-head with each other over this deal during the off-season.
