Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly optimistic that they will have funds available to pursue Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite this summer.
The former PSV Eindhoven loanee has emerged as one of the Premier League's most sought-after centre-backs in 2024 thanks to his individual displays and the Toffees' dire situation.
Becoming James Tarkowski's first-choice central partner, the 6ft 5in defender's performances have Everton in with a fighting chance of avoiding the drop following their unprecedented 10-point deduction for breaching Profit and Sustainability rules.
Without their docking, Everton would be sitting pretty in 12th place in the standings, but Sean Dyche's troops are currently below the dotted line in 18th, one point behind Luton Town having played an extra game.
Should Everton suffer a first-ever relegation from the Premier League, they will likely be resigned to losing Branthwaite at the end of the season as a handful of European heavyweights chase his signature.
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Manchester United, Real Madrid and Tottenham are all believed to have registered their interest, and the Lilywhites would be unlikely to compete with their two rivals financially.
Nevertheless, Football Insider claims that Spurs expect to have the necessary monies available for lucrative summer deals, and club chiefs do not believe that they will be strapped for cash no matter what transpires between now and the end of the term.
The Lilywhites will receive a hefty financial boost if they can qualify for the Champions League, although they dropped out of the top four of the Premier League table with a 2-1 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
Fringe players such as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso, Bryan Gil, Sergio Reguilon, Joe Rodon and Japhet Tanganga could also be sold, while Ivan Perisic and Eric Dier will officially leave at the end of the season.
Branthwaite would arrive in North London to compete with Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Radu Dragusin for starts at the back, but the former two have been undisputed starters under Postecoglou thus far.
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As a result, Dragusin has been restricted to just eight minutes of Premier League football across three substitute appearances since his January arrival, and he has failed to make it off the bench in their last two outings.
In contrast, Branthwaite has made 21 top-flight appearances for Everton in the 2023-24 season, scoring his first and only goal of the campaign to date in a 2-2 draw with the Lilywhites two weekends ago.
The 21-year-old now has two strikes to show from 40 matches in a Toffees jersey, and he was also a part of England's Under-21 European Championship-winning squad last season.
Branthwaite extended his Everton contract until 2027 back in October, but the Toffees will likely be forced to accept a cut-price fee in the upcoming transfer window if they are demoted to the second tier.
Ben Knapton
