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Everton have major interest in signing Sunderland’s Dan Ballard to replace Jarrad Branthwaite amidst Manchester United’s ongoing interest in the defender.
2023/2024 has been a breakout year for Branthwaite as he has put in some top-drawer displays for his side and he has really made a name for himself in the Premier League.
The Carlisle born defender has been a regular in Everton’s first eleven and the Toffees would reportedly demand a fee of around £75m to ward off interested parties such as United, Tottenham and Real Madrid.
However, Everton seem to be preparing for life after the 21 year old, as they are reportedly homing in on their replacement.
FootballTransfers reports that “Everton have a concrete interest in signing Sunderland centre-back Daniel Ballard in the upcoming summer transfer window as a replacement for Jarrad Branthwaite”.
“We have been told by a source very close to the player that the Merseyside club have been watching Ballard very closely since the end of last season”.
The Championship defender spent 14 years at Arsenal’s academy before he was sold to Sunderland in 2022.
The 24 year old has been a regular in the Black Cats side since his move and he has also played regularly for his country.
Ballard has also represented Northern Ireland 18 times since making his debut in 2020 and he has even captained his national side before his 24th birthday.
This news will certainly be welcomed by Man United fans as Everton will be more likely to do business if they have a ready-made replacement lined up for the defender.
Furthermore, just yesterday it was reported that Real Madrid had ruled themselves out of a deal, taking out a massive potential obstacle to the deal.
Due to their financial commitment to signing Kylian Mbappe, los Blancos could not entertain the idea of shelling out €85m for Branthwaite despite admiring his talents.
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