Carlton Palmer believes Everton are still favourites to win the race to sign Hull City’s Jacob Greaves this summer, amid Ipswich Town interest.
According to The Telegraph, the Tractor Boys are considering an approach for the centre-back ahead of their return to the Premier League.
Kieran McKenna is looking to strengthen his side after the Suffolk outfit gained promotion to the top flight with a second place finish in the Championship.
Greaves impressed many with his performances for Hull last year, earning a lot of plaudits as the team finished seventh in the standings.
This has led to reports that West Ham and Everton are also interested in signing the defender, raising doubts over his future at the MKM Stadium.
Carlton Palmer gives Jacob Greaves transfer verdict
Carlton Palmer believes that Greaves’ future could be tied to the transfer situation surrounding Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, who is wanted by Manchester United.
He has also predicted that any deal involving the 23-year-old could cost between £20 and 25 million.
“As you can imagine, Ipswich Town have been linked with a whole host of players, having been promoted to the Premier League,” Palmer told Football League World.
“Obviously they want to strengthen their squad.
“One of the players they have been linked with is Hull City centre-back Jacob Greaves.
“He’s also been the subject of interest from Everton, Everton are waiting to see what happens with Branthwaite, Man United have made an offer believed to be around £35 million, Everton are holding out for as much as £90 million and are looking at a replacement.
“I don’t think they’ll get anywhere near the £90 million they’re asking for Branthwaite, but certainly Jacob Greaves has been outstanding for Hull.
“He’s a left-sided centre-back, Hull City will be looking in excess of £20m for the player.
“Hull have said he’s integral to what they’re looking to do, and push on and get promotion, but the chairman has said he will not stand in his way if his wish is to move on.
“It will be interesting to see this one, I’ll be very surprised to see if Jacob is still at Hull in pre-season, assuming Everton sell Branthwaite, I think he’s on his way to the Premier League, and he’s certainly got a bright future ahead of him.”
Jacob Greaves’ importance to Hull
| Jacob Greaves’ defensive stats 2023/24 – per Fbref.com | |||
| Stat | Per 90 | ||
| Tackles | 1.77 | ||
| Interceptions | 1.02 | ||
| Blocks | 1.28 | ||
| Clearances | 4.60 | ||
| Aerials won | 4.12 | ||
Greaves came through the academy system at Hull, and has cemented himself as a key part of the first team squad.
He featured 43 times in the Championship last season, as Liam Rosenior’s side narrowly missed out on a play-off place.
The defender is now attracting Premier League interest, but has a contract with the Tigers until the summer of 2026.
This gives the Yorkshire outfit some leverage in any potential negotiations over his future, if Premier League clubs come knocking.
£20 to 25 million is a fair estimation of Greaves’ value
It’s likely any sale regarding Branthwaite will trigger a move from Everton for Greaves, but no progress has yet been made on that front since Man United had a bid rejected for him earlier this month.
The longer that drags on, the greater Ipswich’s chance of signing the player will be.
But a fee in the region of £20 million will be a lot for a newly-promoted club like Ipswich, even if the player would be a great addition to McKenna’s squad.
He would certainly improve the Tractor Boys’ defensive options if signed, but Hull will want to maximise the money earned in any potential sale due to his importance to the squad.
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