According to Football Transfers, Everton are seriously interested in replacing Jarrad Branthwaite at centre-back by signing Daniel Ballard from Sunderland during the summer transfer window.
Since the end of the previous season, the Merseyside club have been keeping a tight eye on Ballard.
The defender from Northern Ireland attended Arsenal’s exclusive Hale End Academy. After spending 14 years in North London, he signed a permanent contract with Sunderland in 2022 for a reported €2.34 million.
Ballard has now developed into a key player in the Championship team’s battle to qualify for the Play-Offs at the end of the season.
Now, it is anticipated that Sunderland would want a fee of about €23 million for the Northern Ireland international, which would represent a significant profit over what they had first offered, according to the report in Football Transfers.
Everton are already making plans for the summer transfer window as they know Man United are seriously interested in signing Jarrad Branthwaite. And with Everton’s weak financial position, they could be forced to sell the defender who they consider their most prized asset.
Tottenham are expected to fight United in the race to sign the talented young defender.
With Raphael Varane, Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof facing uncertain futures at the club, signing a centre-back is a priority for United.
Branthwaite has shown he can come straight into the United starting line up with his performances this season and he could be the long term partner of Lisandro Martinez at the heart of the United defense from next season.
