Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is “pondering a move” for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, according to The Sun.
The English tabloid reports that the centre-back has left a good impression on Guardiola after his performances last season.
It is believed that Branthwaite’s passing ability has particularly impressed the City boss and he is keen on taking him to the Etihad.
The biggest obstacle to that happening, though, is the 22-year-old’s asking price. The Sun claim Everton are currently holding out for £80m.
City’s rivals have tried to sign Branthwaite
Manchester United tabled a bid for Branthwaite earlier this month. Reports suggested that the Red Devils’ opening offer was only £35m (with another £10m in add-ons).
Needless to say, the proposal was rejected by Everton. The Toffees still need to sell players in order to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules but they will not let one of their top talents leave on the cheap.
Do City need to sign a centre-back?
Considering that the Premier League champions paid £77.6m for Josko Gvardiol last summer, it would be a surprise if the club was seriously contemplating making a similar offer for Branthwaite.
While Gvardiol has ostensibly been used as a left-back since his arrival from RB Leipzig, he is a centre-half by trade. Both the Croatian and his teammate Nathan Ake are left-footed and can be deployed in both positions.
Considering Branthwaite is also left-footed, it would be rather strange if City sanctioned a sizeable bid for him, despite Guardiola clearly being a fan. If they do go into the market this summer, you’d think they would focus on strengthening other areas of the pitch.
There are questions over the futures of Ederson, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Julian Alvarez so signing a centre-half is likely to be quite a way down the list of priorities.
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