Liverpool and Manchester United monitoring situation of 20-year-old Premier League player: Reports

Liverpool and Manchester United are reportedly keeping tabs on PSV Eindhoven defender Jarrad Branthwaite, who is on loan from Everton.

Branthwaite, 20, has established himself as a squad member for PSV this season, scoring three goals in 19 games across all competitions. After falling out of favor at Goodison Park last season, he has grown by leaps and bounds under Ruud van Nistelrooy at Philips Stadion.

According to Daily Mail, Liverpool and Manchester United have sent their scouts to monitor the development of Branthwaite in Eindhoven with the intention of signing him. Everton are said to have already rebuffed two offers from PSV, the second of which was £15 million.

Branthwaite, who has started each of PSV's last six Eredivisie games, joined Sean Dyche's side for £1 million from EFL League Two outfit Carlisle United in 2020. He spent time on loan at Blackburn Rovers during the 2020-21 term before returning to the Toffees last season.

Overall, the England U20 international has made just 13 appearances across all competitions for Everton. He has scored one goal, during a 1-1 Premier League away draw against Chelsea last season, so far.

Liverpool are likely to dip into the upcoming transfer market to add a new centre-back to their ranks with Joel Matip and Joe Gomez's future up in the air. On the other hand, Manchester United could also reshape their backline as Harry Maguire is believed to seal an exit in the future.

Former boss slams ex-Manchester United target Cody Gakpo for Liverpool transfer

PSV Eindhoven manager Ruud van Nistelrooy has slammed Liverpool star Cody Gakpo's decision to listen to Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk and reject a move to Manchester United. He told De Telegraaf:

"Gakpo's dream was a move to Manchester United for a long time. He had been in contact with Erik ten Hag since last August. I wanted him to join United too, not because it's my club and I love them, but also because they offer a lot of potential to their players."

Shedding light on Van Dijk's influence on Gakpo, Van Nistelrooy said:

"But United didn't make an offer in January so I advised him to wait until the summer window. Then, something happened and he refused my advice. He listened to Van Dijk who was pushing him to join his team. He told me he wanted to go abroad in January."

Gakpo, 23, is yet to open his account in six appearances for the Reds.