"North of £20m" - Steve Bruce makes Jacob Greaves claim as Ipswich Town and Everton lurk | OneFootball

Jacob Greaves has been the subject of intense transfer speculation this summer

Steve Bruce has claimed that Hull City’s Jacob Greaves is worth £20 million amid transfer interest in the defender.

It has been reported that West Ham and Everton are among the clubs eyeing a move for the centre-back.

Newly-promoted Ipswich Town have also been linked with the 23-year-old ahead of the new season.

Greaves has impressed with the Tigers in the Championship, cementing himself as a key part of the Yorkshire outfit in recent campaigns.

He has featured in 133 out of 138 of Hull’s league games since gaining promotion back to the second tier in 2021, including 130 starts (all stats from Fbref).

Steve Bruce makes £20 million Jacob Greaves claim

Bruce has compared Greaves to Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite, claiming a left-footed defender is a hot commodity in the transfer market at the moment.

He has suggested that Hull should be seeking up to £20 million in any potential sale for the centre-back this summer.

"Can he do better than he's done this season? If you're telling me he's played 50 games, won Player of the Season, been named in the Championship's Team of the Season, then of course, every player wants to play at the highest level,” said Bruce, via Hull Live.

“I'm sure he must be thinking to himself, there's a big opportunity here for me because there's not many [left-sided defenders].

"Yes, we keep producing number 10s, wide players and all the rest of it, but there's not many out-and-out left-footed centre-backs.

“We saw with England [against Serbia] - [Kieran] Trippier playing on the left-hand side.

“A natural left-footer to give you the balance of your team is worth its weight in gold.

"I'm sure there's going to be interest, and I'm sure it's going to be very difficult for the kid to turn it down because everybody wants to play in the Premier League.

"The kid Branthwaite, have they turned down £45 million?

“He was at Carlisle, and I should have taken him - he was on our doorstep at Newcastle, and he was only £1.5 million or £2 million when he went to Everton.

“He's flourished and he's now at £45 million all of a sudden?

“The thing is, he's been there and done it in the Premier League whereas the boy Greaves [has not].

“It will probably take a cheque, probably north of £20m now to even consider it I would have thought."

Tim Walter's Hull arrival

Greaves has earned a strong reputation for his performances for Hull, especially under Liam Rosenior in the last season or so.

The defender was a key part of the team’s push for promotion, which led to a disappointing seventh place finish in the table.

Rosenior was sacked from his role as manager after his side narrowly missed out on a play-off place.

Tim Walter has been installed as his replacement, with the Championship club eyeing a return to the top flight for the first time since 2017.

Greaves could be worth £20 million

With the competition hotting up for Greaves, this will be beneficial to Hull if he is going to be sold.

Multiple clubs fighting for his signature should drive up his price, making the £20 million claim by Bruce a realistic one.

Greaves has performed excellently in the Championship, and is now ready to take the step up to the Premier League.

It will be a blow for Walter to lose such a talented defender just as he gets in the door, but that is money that can be reinvested back into the club quite effectively, and could allow for two or three extra additions this transfer window.