- Chelsea are keen on an Everton star who is a current England international
- The player in question was also pursued by Manchester United last summer
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Chelsea are weighing up an approach for Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite but Toffees David Moyes is reluctant to sell him.
With James Tarkowski recovering from hamstring surgery, Moyes would be thin on options at the back if Branthwaite were to depart.
Elsewhere, Everton are finalising terms with Idrissa Gana Gueye over a new contract while they are in talks with Flamengo over a move for Carlos Alcaraz.
Chelsea’s interest in Branthwaite comes after it was previously reported that Manchester United were willing to fork out more than £50million to land him this summer.
Everton had already rejected two bids from United last summer, including a second offer of £45million plus £5m in add-ons, as they wanted £70million.
He also was only willing to move to a club that can offer him Champions League football as he felt ready to himself at the highest level – which puts Chelsea ahead of United in the running for the centre-back this time around.
Chelsea are keen on an Everton star who is a current England international
The player in question was also pursued by Manchester United last summer
In March, The Sun claimed that United bosses were still eager to sign Branthwaite, 22, despite Everton refusing to play ball last summer.
Branthwaite made his England debut in June last year but was excluded from Tuchel’s first squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia.
Earlier this year, Mail Sport’s Manchester United Confidential reported that United would turn away from a big-money defensive signing and opt for a cheaper option with potential.
However, that was before Lisandro Martinez suffered a season-ending ACL injury, casting more doubt over his long-temr fitness.
Martinez had already missed large chunks of his first two seasons at Old Trafford due to injury.
In January, United extended Harry Maguire’s £190,000-per-week contract until 2026 after his upturn in form.
However, with Maguire having turned 32 this month, United have to have one eye on the next generation of defensive talent.
They did hold talks over the feasability of a bid for Branthwaite in January but ended up tightening their purse strings.
Instead, they spent £29.4m on wing-back Patrick Dorgu and a rather more modest £1m on Ayden Heaven from Arsenal.
