Hope for Man Utd? Jarrad Branthwaite reveals when he will make transfer call as Everton defender sparks talk of interest from Red Devils & Real Madrid

The 21-year-old centre-half has seen his stock soar during a breakthrough season at Goodison Park. He has been called into the senior England squad and is expected to be the subject of big-money bids in the next recruitment window.

It has been suggested that Everton will demand £80 million-plus ($101m) from any deal, with Branthwaite responding to that speculation by saying: “You have just got to block it all out. I think if you focus on the outside stuff, you get distracted from what you need to do on the pitch. For me now, until the end of the season, I am just focused on winning games for Everton.”

Branthwaite added on his international ambition, having failed to make it off the bench for England when they took in friendly dates with Brazil and Belgium: “I think it was a good experience for me to be there, disappointed I didn’t get on, but it is one of those things. For me, now, it is just concentrating on myself, playing at a good standard, which got me into that team, and hopefully by the summer I can get into the squad. The experience of playing with those high-quality players every day and learning from them... like I said, I was disappointed not to get on the pitch, but it is one of those things.”

It could be a big summer for Branthwaite, as he takes aim at a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad for Euro 2024. He may be on the move away from Merseyside, as European heavyweights look to buy into his potential, but the plan is to ensure that Everton retain their Premier League status before any thought is given to taking on a new challenge at club level.