Chelsea tipped to hijack Man Utd’s £50m transfer move for England star | Football

Pat Nevin has tipped Chelsea to swoop in and hijack Manchester United’s plans to sign Everton and England defender Jarrad Branthwaite this summer.

United are expected to revive their efforts to sign Branthwaite at the end of the season having failed twice to agree a transfer fee with Everton for the centre-back last summer.

Branthwaite has continued to impress this season under Sean Dyche and David Moyes but is said to be keen to move to a club playing in Europe as he looks to force his way into Thomas Tuchel’s reckoning ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

And with the contracts of Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof expiring in the summer, Ruben Amorim’s will be in need of defensive reinforcements and could sanction a bid of £50million for Branthwaite.

United may well have to win the Europa League if they are to provide the European football that Branthwaite craves, but Nevin believes his former side Chelsea could also thwart United’s hope of signing the Englishman.

‘If it had been me at Chelsea, I would have gone for Jarrad Branthwaite a year ago over any player that Chelsea did sign in that defensive area,’ Nevin told CasinoHawks.

‘For me, for over a year, he’s just looked like the best up-and-coming centre back in business.

‘Dean Huijsen at Bournemouth is also special, he could become a Virgil van Dijk type, but we shall see. Certainly with Chelsea, Branthwaite ticked every single imaginable box.

‘But it would be expensive. So if Manchester United took him it wouldn’t be a surprise. If Chelsea took him it wouldn’t be a surprise.’

Despite his impressive performances for Everton, Branthwaite was overlooked by Tuchel when the German announced his first England squad.

And Nevin feels that Branthwaite may well be a victim of Tuchel’s short-term thinking as the former Bayern Munich and Chelsea boss turns his full focus towards the 2026 World Cup in little under 18 months.

‘Jarrad Branthwaite would start for England for me, but I think he’s a victim of a short-term manager, it’s just as simple as that,’ the Scotsman added.

‘If you’re a long-term manager you need a squad to build up players and develop the internationals, if you’re short-term, what do you do? You pick people that have done it for a long time and are experienced at international level. That’s it.

‘If you were building an England team for the next campaign, you’d have him in there. But if you’re only interested in this campaign and nothing else then no, I know what he’s doing.

‘I understand what the manager’s doing and although it’s a bit saddening and a shame for Jarrad and for England and developing young players, it makes perfect sense. If it was me, he’d be in the squad. But then I’m a huge fan.

‘I think in a few years down the line he’ll be England’s number one centre back and he will be for a long-time.’

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