Everton could move to sign a La Liga defender this summer, it has emerged, as Sean Dyche looks to bolster his ranks ahead of the new Premier League season.
Question marks at the back
Having secured Premier League survival despite two separate point deductions last season, Everton are looking to kick on this season. They have already brought in reinforcements, signing Iliman Ndiaye from Marseille after an unsuccessful spell in Ligue 1, while Jack Harrison has returned for another loan spell and Tim Iroegbunam has arrived from Aston Villa to strengthen the midfield.
But there is still plenty of speculation about how the Everton squad could look come the start of the season, with promising centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite at the heart of much of it.
The Englishman has already been the subject of two failed bids from Manchester United, the second of which totalled around £50m and was swiftly rejected.
The Toffees are thought to be holding out for around £70m to let their gem leave, with the 22 year old having appeared 42 times for Sean Dyche’s side last season and becoming one of the Premier League’s best left-sided defenders in the process.
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Most Premier League appearances for Everton 23/24 |
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Jordan Pickford |
38 |
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James Tarkowski |
38 |
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James Garner |
37 |
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Jarrad Branthwaite |
35 |
|
Dwight McNeil |
35 |
The Times claim that United will return with a third bid for the Everton man, though they are “unwilling to meet” the £70m asking price, which will force Everton to consider lowering their demands or keeping the centre-back. Now, they have been linked with a potential replacement for Branthwaite.
Toffees chase Copa America man
That comes with Paraguayan media revealing that Everton are in the running for 27-year-old centre-back Omar Alderete, who appeared three times at the most recent Copa America and even found the net against Brazil with a thunderous effort.
The defender only joined Getafe permanently last summer, in a deal worth 4m euros, but has gone on to cement himself as a key figure in their defence. He featured 31 times in La Liga as he helped his side out of relegation trouble, and is thought to have caught the eye of several clubs in the process.
One of those is fellow Spanish outfit Sevilla, but Everton are also named among the sides chasing his signature and have made contact to sign the defender.
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The natural goalscorer could be just what Everton need this summer.
Alderete only penned his £20k per week deal 12 months ago, and it runs until 2028, meaning that Getafe will demand a reasonable sum for his departure, though no specific fees are mentioned.
With Branthwaite being the only left-footed centre-back in the squad at present, Alderete’s arrival could simply be to provide cover for the 22 year-old. At present, Dyche’s only centre-back options are first choice pair Branthwaite and James Tarkowski along with Michael Keane and Mason Holgate, who has just returned from loan with Sheffield United and could be set to leave again.
