Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of Jarrad Branthwaite is complicated by Manchester City’s interest
Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite as the North Londoners continue their pursuit of defensive stability going into the next season, although their pursuit of landing the England international is dealt a blow as Manchester City register interest in the 21-year-old, per Football Insider.
The Lilywhites have been in the market to sign a new central defender this summer because of the problems they faced in the position last season. Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou had to make do with playing full-backs in a filler role centrally as the club lacked depth in CB options. The Australian boss will be looking to add to his roster this off-season to ensure that the club is ready for such problems going into next season.
Branthwaite bonanza
Tottenham have been in the fold to land the one-capped England defender and moved to favourites to secure his signatures after his move to Manchester United fell through. The Manchester Reds made a £35 million bid for the 21-year-old, while Everton held out for a £80 million price tag.
While Spurs have a first-choice centre-back pairing of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, any deal that brings Branthwaite to White Hart Lane looks difficult, especially with the huge sum involved in securing his services.
Manchester City just won their fourth Premiership title in a row, and the Cityzens are looking to ensure that they continue to lead the pack going into the upcoming campaign. Adding a face with Branthwaite’s quality would take the squad to another level defensively, especially with the problems of keeping clean sheets in the recently concluded campaign.
This could be Manchester City’s answer to Arsenal potentially adding Riccardo Calafiori.
Tottenham have to ensure that the club stays away from such crazy transfers at the moment, as the North Londoners have a squad to improve on and their project is comparatively young compared to that of Manchester City and Arsenal.
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While Spurs have been named as potential suitors, any deal to bring the Everton defender to White Hart Lane looks unlikely, and we will see who they target for their defensive depth this summer.