Liverpool told to sign £25m Man Utd target from rivals Everton after his ‘interesting’ chat with Klopp
Liverpool have been encouraged to beat Manchester United in the race to sign England U21 international Jarrad Branthwaite from Merseyside rivals Everton.
The 21-year-old has broken through as one of the best young defenders in the Premier League after his impressive loan spell with PSV Eindhoven in 2022/23.
Branthwaite has formed a strong partnership with James Tarkowski at the start of this season under Sean Dyche – who is sixth favourite to win the Premier League sack race – and he has started seven league games in a row.
He played the full 90 minutes as Everton were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool at Anfield over the weekend and he is in line to secure himself a major move elsewhere either in January or next summer.
Liverpool legend John Aldridge reckons they would be wise to sign Branthwaite, who could “become a leading figure and starter for England”.
“I don’t want to upset any Evertonians by saying this, and whether Liverpool would buy from Everton is another matter as it rarely happens, but I certainly think he has got the ability to go on and become a leading figure and a starter for England,” Aldridge said in an interview with Liverpool Echo.
“The fact Jurgen Klopp even talked him up before the game in his pre-match press conference was interesting. He is likely to be on the radar of other teams as well, Manchester United have already been mentioned as a possible destination, but it’s up to Everton over what they do with him.
“Branthwaite recently signed a new contract with Everton, too. I’m looking at Everton’s team and, if you want to go forward as a club, those are the type of players you have to keep around. Whether or not Everton can do that, only time will tell.
“A left-sided centre-back is something we were in the market for during the summer transfer window, which we didn’t end up signing in the end. If we were to make a move for Branthwaite, he would probably cost a significant amount due to the English premium that we so often see in the game.
“Coming to Liverpool would be hard for the lad, it takes a bit of doing to make that switch across Stanley Park. I don’t want to upset anyone, I will stress that again, but I think he has a really bright future.”
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