Liverpool plotting to hijack Man Utd transfer plans for £70m colossus who earned Klopp’s approval
Liverpool have already got one over on Manchester United on the pitch this season, and they’re reportedly aiming to repeat the trick in the transfer market when the window reopens in January.
According to the Daily Mail, the Red Devils are planning another bid for Jarrad Branthwaite at the end of this season after they had two offers rejected in the summer, the latest of which was £50m.
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That still fell well below Everton’s £70m asking price, and it’s claimed that the Toffees’ Merseyside rivals could be in a position to offer a figure close to that amount during the winter transfer window at the start of 2025.
The report adds that, despite an imminent takeover at Goodison Park, the defender is unlikely to sign a new contract, with his current deal running to 2027.
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Direct transfers between the two Merseyside rivals are very rare – the last player to make such a move was Abel Xavier in early 2002 – so it’d be quite a statement signing if Liverpool were to capture Branthwaite.
The 22-year-old earned praise from Jurgen Klopp during the German’s final season at Anfield, with the former Reds boss dubbing him ‘a really good left-footed centre-half’ and saying that the Everton man’s physicality could’ve ‘killed’ Jayden Danns had the teenage striker played in our defeat at Goodison Park in April (The Mirror).
Standing at an imposing 6 foot 5, the Toffees defender excels in many of the core aspects of his position. As per FBref, he ranks betwen the 77th and 83rd percentiles among centre-backs in Europe’s five main leagues over the past year for tackles, interceptions, blocks, clearances and aerial duels won per game.
Virgil van Dijk’s future remains shrouded in uncertainty with his contract due to expire next summer, but just for a moment, try to imagine a partnership of him and Branthwaite at the back for Liverpool…it’d be physically intimidating, to say the least!
It’d probably take one hell of a convincing proposal to persuade Everton to sell their star defender to us, particularly if they endure another season of firefighting against relegation, but the chance to snap up one of their most coveted players and add to United’s woes may be too inviting for the Anfield hierarchy to pass up!
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