According to Foot Mercato, Chelsea have their sights on beating Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United to the signing of Nice centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo in January.
The London giants have had another frustrating Premier League campaign. They have won their last two league games but continue to remain 10th in the table, 12 points adrift of the Champions League positions.
Their defensive frailties were visible over the weekend where they almost dropped points despite holding a commanding 3-0 lead at Luton Town. Chelsea held on for a 3-2 victory, but things could have been different.
As per Foot Mercato, Chelsea have now joined the race with Tottenham and Man United to sign Todibo. They have opened talks to sign the highly-rated defender and have him as one of their top winter targets.
Spurs have also made a very concrete approach to land the Frenchman, but United are only monitoring him with a view to a summer move. As of now, Nice are not contemplating the prospect of selling Todibo.
Good defender
Todibo has been linked with a Premier League move for the last 12 months, and a transfer could happen this winter with Chelsea, Tottenham and United all interested in landing his signature.
Spurs seem the most advanced of the trio in the player’s pursuit, but Chelsea have shown in the past that they can outbid clubs easily with their huge spending power under Clearlake Capital Group.
Todibo would be a top-notch signing for the Blues. He is a strong ball-playing centre-back who likes to tackle as well as clear his lines. He is also blessed with good recovery pace and wins most of his duels.
He could be seen as a successor to Thiago Silva who is already 39 and could call time on his career soon. Nice owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is on the verge of becoming a minority shareholder at United, but Chelsea will still be optimistic of landing Todibo.
Ratcliffe’s presence at United gives them a boost in the Todibo race, but their Financial Fair Play situation may not permit them to spend big on Todibo, who could cost as much as £52 million next month.
