England v Portugal - UEFA U21 EURO 2027 Qualifier
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Everton’s exciting and talented young core is threatening to be torn apart by Chelsea in 2027, with links to another of David Moyes’ prized assets ahead of January.
Last week, it was reported that Chelsea were tracking Harrison Armstrong with visions of making a move to sign him in 2027 to bolster their already bursting midfield ranks.
It would be a real shame to see Chelsea sign and ruin any of Everton’s really exciting players. While now reports are indicating a second Evertonian is on the agenda of Xabi Alonso.
It would be every bit as painful as losing Armstrong.
Everton’s band of brothers have rallied after a difficult summer - but who has been their best player this season so far?!
Other (name in the comments)
Hall is the heart and soul of the team , but a vote for Tarkovski. He bullies opponents and is the minder of the team. I actually think he got us through the relegation troubles. Not what he was but I'm eternally grateful to him
Mykolenko has been consistent so far and having an excellent season. Currently, only Califori is a better left back in the prem than him
@gramorris if I was Graham I would be saying yo moyes I've been on the bench for the last 5 games I'm not going on lone and I will be going to my agent to get me a transfer to a club that believe in young talent
Chelsea add Jarrad Branthwaite to transfer shortlist
This season has seen Chelsea’s defensive line come under fire and be unanimously viewed as not good enough. So they are now looking at a swoop for Jarrad Branthwaite to change this.
Branthwaite has been among the league’s best this season at centre-back for David Moyes’ side. So it is hardly shocking that interest would arrive.
Flashscore has reported that Branthwaite is on Chelsea’s list of centre-back targets for 2027, alongside Como’s Jacobo Ramon and Benfica’s Tomas Araujo.
Everton’s response to Chelsea’s interest should be met with a resounding no, considering he had signed a contract extension in 2025, which runs until 2030. Thus handing Everton all the cards in a potential relegation, and any valuation would no doubt be toward the £80m mark at least.
However, Branthwaite is having a blindingly good season, which is almost certain to result in interest from beyond just Chelsea, and the Toffees would do well to resist all of this. But if he is to leave, the money needed would be astronomical and likely a new centre-back transfer record.
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Rank Player Transfer Year Fee (GBP / EUR)
1 Harry Maguire 🏴 Leicester City → Manchester United 2019 £80m (€87m)
2 Joško Gvardiol 🇭🇷 RB Leipzig → Manchester City 2023 £77.6m (€90m)
3 Virgil van Dijk 🇳🇱 Southampton → Liverpool 2018 £75m (€84.7m)
4 Wesley Fofana 🇫🇷 Leicester City → Chelsea 2022 £70m (€80.4m)*
5 Matthijs de Ligt 🇳🇱 Ajax → Juventus 2019 £67.8m (€85.5m)
*Fofana’s deal included a further £5m in performance-related add-ons.
Currency differences: Ranked in euros, Joško Gvardiol (€90m) holds the all-time record ahead of Harry Maguire (€87m), while Matthijs de Ligt (€85.5m) moves up to third ahead of Van Dijk and Fofana due to exchange rates at the time of each transfer.
Positional classifications: Lucas Hernández (£68m / €80m, Atlético Madrid to Bayern Munich in 2019) is excluded from standard centre-back rankings as he was signed and primarily classified as a left-back, despite frequently playing centrally.
How much would Everton need to sell Branthwaite?
Assuming Everton decides to cash in at some stage, nothing but a centre-back record fee should suffice.
This would mean Branthwaite going for north of the £80m that Everton quoted United for him a couple of seasons ago after his initial breakthrough.
But now he is a much more complete player and could easily be worth more, especially considering the money and desperation Chelsea may have to sign him.
So the interest isn’t all bad news, but Everton need to be strong and only sell for a premium price, otherwise keep him and he’s an elite defender for the club on a return to Europe.