Real Madrid, Tottenham, Manchester United, and Manchester City are all keeping an eye on the outstanding player, who is valued at more than £60 million by Everton.

The 21-year old has had a stand-out season despite Everton’s on-going relegation battle and is primed to make his full England debut this week against Belgium.

His performances have attracted attention from a number of top sides and City have also posted their interest.

City’s neighbours Manchester United have been leading the push to sign Branthwaite this summer while Tottenham and Real Madrid have also made their interest known.

The issue for United could be Everton’s price tag with the Goodison club wanting in excess of £60million should they sell.

Ideally, United want to offload a number of players this summer to help fund a refresh of their squad. They want younger profile players as they look to build a new team to challenge for the next few years and Branthwaite fits the bill but they also want value for their money.

The Premier League champions are not short of top class centre backs underlined by the fact £77million summer signing Josko Gvardiol has still to establish himself as a regular.

However, in their intent to keep competition high they are keeping an eye on Branthwaite’s progress, particularly with him being homegrown, his age, and showing technical traits similar to John Stones who has been deployed in midfield this season.