Pep Guardiola could thwart Manchester United’s hopes of signing Everton’s £80 million-rated center-back Jarrad Branthwaite. The Manchester City boss admires Branthwaite’s defensive qualities and ability to play out from the back. United’s rival, Erik ten Hag, also wants the 22-year-old but saw their initial £35 million bid rejected by Everton.

Guardiola is considering a move for Branthwaite, although Everton is no longer under immediate pressure to sell after raising £20 million from selling Ben Godfrey to Atalanta and Lewis Dobbin to Aston Villa. However, the Toffees still need to comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules and will not sell cheaply. Manchester United has started exploring alternative targets and reportedly held talks with Matthijs de Ligt’s representatives. Reports indicate United aims to sign both players, envisioning a defensive partnership between Branthwaite and de Ligt.

Branthwaite had a breakthrough season at Goodison Park after a loan spell with PSV, scoring three goals in 35 Premier League appearances. His performances earned him a new contract through 2027 and caught the attention of England manager Gareth Southgate, who included him in the preliminary squad for Euro 2024. Despite making his debut against Bosnia & Herzegovina, Branthwaite was cut from the final 26-man squad.

Here is the skills highlight video of Jarrad Branthwaite.

Jarrad Branthwaite

This season he played in total 35 times for 3117 minutes for Premier League.

Jarrad Branthwaite scored 3 goals for Everton. He procured no assists. He received 8 yellow cards and no red cards.

His team is currently 15th in Premier League. In the last match Everton lost 2-1 against Arsenal.

Everton performance and stats

Everton is currently 15th in the Premier League with 40 points.

In the last 38 games, it has won 13 times, drawn 9 times, and lost 16 times. In its last match, Everton lost 2-1 against Arsenal.​​

It has a negative goal difference after scoring 39 goals and conceding 49.​