Sean Dyche makes Jarrad Branthwaite claim amid Manchester United and Liverpool interest

The fact that Everton player Jarrad Branthwaite is frequently connected to other Premier League teams does not surprise Sean Dyche, he said.

After a remarkable Premier League season in which the center-back almost made England’s final 26-man selection at Euro 2024, Branthwaite became a key target for Manchester United this summer.

Liverpool is reportedly mulling a proposal for the 22-year-old in the new year, while United is still interested in the defender despite Everton rejecting two of their bids.

Dyche insisted that Branthwaite remains happy at the club and is hopeful that a pending takeover from The Friedkin Group could help the club’s chance of keeping their prized asset.

‘I think I said in the summer that any player, it’s a worldwide market now, it’s not just about one player,’ he said at a press conference on Thursday.

‘The way the game changed, certainly in Europe, the transfer situation has opened up. It’s not a surprise good players are linked with other clubs. I said in the summer he’ll be staying here and he is so that’s good.’

Asked about how the pending takeover could affect the sale of Branthwaite, Dyche replied: ‘The club has a situation it is still looking upon. If new ownership goes through, that might change things financially but we don’t know that yet. We’ll just have to wait and see.

‘I didn’t really speak to him about it [interest from United in the summer], he’s still here. I’m not going to sit there and chat endlessly about stories in the paper which 99 per cent are not true so there’s no point.

‘He seems fine other than being injured, which has been a blow to him, he’s been fine.’

Having picked up their first win of the season last weekend against Crystal Palace, the Toffees will now look to put more distance between themselves and the relegation zone when they host Newcastle on Saturday.

And Dyche is hopeful his side can lean on their impressive record from last season which saw them pick up four points out of a possible six against Eddie Howe’s side.

‘They’re a good outfit, we know that,’ he said. ‘They’ve invested well and they’re well coached by Eddie. I think they do a good job there. He’s someone I definitely respect in the game.

‘But our record against them was good last season, and there’s certainly no given reason why we can’t replicate that record, but you’ve got to play well. We’ve got to play well from the start to the finish.’

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