Chelsea’s interest in defender looks impossible – fee likely to be €50m or more

The Daily Mirror have today reported that Everton are looking at potential replacements for their star centre back Jarrad Branthwaite, knowing it’s unlikely that he leaves in the summer.

There are a number of teams interested, and Chelsea’s name is thrown in there alongside Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspurs.

He’s a player we really like the look of, and under different circumstances, in times gone by, we can see him being exactly the type of player we would target.

But given his age, pedigree and potential, we’d surely be talking about a vast transfer fee. Transfermarkt value him at €25m, but we’d expect him to go for at least twice that.

Given the sums invested in Wesley Fofana, Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile in the last 12 months, and given the amount we’re going to have to spend on a striker this summer, it feels impossible that we see a Branthwaite move to Stamford Bridge – at least this summer.