Everton could now struggle to sign Hull City star Jacob Greaves, as Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly joined the race for him.
Greaves is a 23-year-old defender who came through the Hull academy before making his first-team debut for The Tigers in September 2020. The centre-back has proven to be a reliable player for Hull, having played at least 38 matches in each of the last three seasons.
Greaves is well on course to repeat that achievement this term, having featured in 36 of Hull’s 37 Championship games. Greaves has also captained Hull on four occasions this season, most recently in the 2-1 victory over Huddersfield on February 17 – during which he netted both of his team’s goals.
Greaves stands at 6ft 3in, which makes him an imposing figure in both boxes. He is also good at playing out from the back, a trait Premier League clubs love.
The centre-half, who can also operate at left-back, has previously been linked with Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Brentford.
But on Tuesday, it emerged that Everton have firmly set their sights on him. Sean Dyche knows that current defender Jarrad Branthwaite could leave in the summer, amid interest from Manchester United, and the manager views Greaves as a solid replacement.
Selling Branthwaite and bringing Greaves in would make financial sense for Everton. While Man Utd will have to pay between £80-100million for Branthwaite, Greaves is Hull’s most valuable player on transfermarkt at £12m.
However, Everton will not have it all their own way in the pursuit of the Englishman. As per the Daily Mirror and Sky Sports, Tottenham have burst into the race him.
Tottenham might add Hull star to defensive ranks
Tottenham signed Radu Dragusin in the January transfer window, who will provide Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero with cover and competition for a starting spot in central defence.
But signing Greaves too will stop Ange Postecoglou having to use full-back Emerson Royal at centre-half, should any of his other options get injured.
Adding Greaves to the Tottenham squad will also help Postecoglou prepare for a gruelling campaign in 2024-25.
Following their 4-0 rout at Aston Villa earlier on Sunday, Spurs are in a great position to leapfrog Unai Emery’s side and move into fourth spot. That could in turn guarantee them a place in next season’s Champions League.
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