Van Nistelrooy says PSV ‘must sign’ Everton loanee, amid links to Liverpool and Manchester United
Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite has impressed on loan at PSV Eindhoven this season and now manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy is desperate to sign him permanently.
Liverpool and Manchester United have also registered an interest in the 20-year-old, so the Dutch giants may have a bidding war on their hands if the Toffees do choose to sell him.
PSV reportedly saw a £15m bid rejected for the defender in January, so a more lucrative offer would be required to retain his services.
Branthwaite has gradually become one of PSV’s most important players and has been in terrific form recently.
Overall, he has made 20 appearances for the Dutch side this season, scoring four goals and helping his team to seven clean sheets in the process.
As mentioned, his good form has attracted the interest of Everton’s Merseyside rivals Liverpool, along with Manchester United and Roma, who have all sent scouts to watch Branthwaite ahead of a potential summer bid.
It remains to be seen whether the Toffees would sanction a sale of the Englishman.
However, given their ongoing financial struggles and the threat of relegation, they may be forced to let him go.
Indeed, with the Blues currently sitting in the relegation zone, if they do drop to the Championship, they may be forced to sell some of their prized assets and Branthwaite certainly fits into that category.
Van Nistelrooy hails ‘key player’ Branthwaite
Thanks to his excellent form, Van Nistelrooy has made signing Branthwaite permanently one of his top priorities for next season.
Speaking to PSVFans.nl, he said: “I told the previous technical director [John de Jong] that he must sign Jarrad very quickly and I say it now to the current [Marcel Brands], but also to the future [director Earnest Stewart]. To all, haha.
“I do see Jarrad as a key player and that’s how we see him internally. We have a lot of young talent with Bakayoko, Simons, Branthwaite and Saibari, among others. Those are guys for the future.
“It’s true that we can get competition for Jarrad. Well, let him develop well first. What is extremely important is that he enjoys himself at PSV and within this team. That is a basic condition if we want to have a chance at all.”
However, with Liverpool and United circling and Everton likely to be unwilling to let Branthwaite go easily, it may take a sizeable offer to get a deal over the line.
Sean Dyche confirmed on Thursday that he has already spoken to the youngster to ‘say hello,’ but didn’t reveal any details on a potential departure.
Branthwaite is under contract with Everton until 2025, so the club are under no immediate pressure to sell him. However, if they are relegated, they may find it difficult to keep hold of him.
