Everton

Everton

Premier League • England

Everton set to sign Jarrad Branthwaite back-up as Toffees hold firm on Man Utd target

Jarrad Branthwaite and Jake O'Brien

Jarrad Branthwaite could soon be joined at Everton by new defensive competition

Everton have ‘agreed in principle’ to sign Lyon centre-back Jake O’Brien, as the Toffees stand firm on Manchester United target Jarrad Branthwaite.

Sean Dyche’s Everton have been making headlines more for a certain player they have kept onto, rather than transfer arrivals and departures this summer.

Not a great deal of fanfare followed the signings of Iliman Ndiaye from Marseille, Tim Iroegbunam from Aston Villa, and the loan deal of Jesper Lindstrom from Napoli.

Indeed, the departures of Dele Alli, Andre Gomes, Lewis Dobbin, and Ben Godfrey didn’t cause much noise, but the £50m exit of Amadou Onana to Aston Villa certainly raised a few eyebrows.

But United’s repeated efforts to sign Everton centre-back Branthwaite, which has resulted in bids of £43m and £50m getting rejected, has made it one of the biggest transfer sagas of the off-season.

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The Toffees reportedly value the former Carlisle United man – who moved to Merseyside in 2020 – at upwards of £70m, with the 22-year-old’s contract at Goodison Park currently running to 2027.

While it seems Everton are intent on keeping Branthwaite for the foreseeable future, they appear to be recruiting a fellow defender who could cushion the blow if the 6ft 5in player were to leave Dyche’s team.

Everton close in on Irish star

According to Fabrizio Romano, Everton have agreed to sign Lyon star O’Brien, he will undergo a medical in the coming days and if personal terms are agreed, a five-year deal will be struck.

The 6ft 6in defender has enjoyed a rapid rise in recent years, from playing at Cork City in the Republic of Ireland, to starring for one of France’s biggest teams.

He initially signed for Crystal Palace in 2021 but never made a first-team appearance – instead heading out on loan to Swindon Town in League Two and RWD Molenbeek in the second tier of Belgium football.

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Lyon took a chance on him and since then he has made 32 appearances for the Ligue 1 club, scoring five goals along the way, and earned his first caps for Ireland, too.

That reportedly led to interest from Premier League sides Everton, Wolves, Nottingham Forest, and Brentford, with Lyon allegedly holding out for £25m for his services.

This comes just a year on from the French team paying less than £1m to sign the big defender, who could surpass the £23.5m Irish record transfer fee set by Nathan Collins when he moves to the Bees in 2023.

In regards to what an O’Brien transfer will do for Branthwaite’s Everton future, it probably won’t do a great deal.

Dyche’s team have Branthwaite, James Tarkowski, Michael Keane and Mason Holgate as centre-backs, but the latter two are fringe players – so strengthening that part of the field would be a shrewd move.

United themselves appear to be targeting Bayern Munich’s Matthijs De Ligt, who could be made available for £42m or so, potentially meaning their Branthwaite pursuit cools. However, stranger things have happened in the transfer window.