Royal Blue

Everton are braced for another summer of interest in Jarrad Branthwaite. The centre-back remains on the radar of several Premier League clubs. The Blues rebuffed two bids for the 22-year-old from Manchester United last summer. Neither offer, with the second for a package worth around £50m, came close to meeting the club’s valuation of a player who had enjoyed a stunning breakthrough year. Branthwaite is under contract at Everton until the end of June 2027, having signed a new deal following his emergence into the first team in the opening months of the 2023/24 campaign. Everton, who signed him from Carlisle United in 2020, are in a strong position to rebuff speculative interest as a result. Looking deeper into the squad, a number of Everton players with uncertain futures remain out the club, but for how long? Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Michael Keane will see their contracts run out at the end of June while Nathan Patterson has struggled to impress upon his return from injury.  A forward remains a priority