Tottenham 'eye' Everton's £18m star in January to help fix injury crisis

Tottenham reportedly hold an interest in Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite as they look to plug their injury crisis at the back.

Branthwaite, 21, has emerged as a key figure for Sean Dyche ever since he returned to the club in the summer following a strong loan at PSV.

Forming a strong partnership with James Tarkowski, the England U21 international has caught the eye with his calm and composed performances at the back.

Previous reports have claimed that the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United were 'monitoring' him after his good form, and now Tottenham are the latest top six club to be linked with a move.

According to the Standard, Branthwaite is among a few targets that Tottenham are looking at as they aim to fix their growing injury problem in defence.

Alongside Branthwaite, the club are also eyeing Bournemouth's Lloyd Kelly, Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi and Nice's Jean-Clair Todibo as they look to add depth to their defensive line following the injury suffered by Micky van den Ven.

However, the most viable option could be Kelly as his deal expires next summer.

In terms of Branthwaite, he penned a new long-term-deal earlier this season - a contract that was a fair reward after a brilliant run of form as he established himself in the first-team.

Valued at £18m on Transfermarkt, it would surely take a large figure for the Toffees to part way with such a valuable asset, even if the club are in need of funds. It seems that would be the only reason to part ways with Branthwaite would be purely financial.

Given he is young, left-footed and English, it would mean the club could charge a fair fee for him, should any of the top teams interest's become more serious.

He has started every game since coming into the side against Wolves in late-August and it is clear Dyche trusts the youngster far more than Michael Keane and Ben Godfrey - with both failing to displace the blossoming defender.