According to Givemesport, Manchester United are expected to enter the negotiation table to sign Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo this summer.
The Red Devils have been poor defensively for most of the current campaign and this has been largely due to the injury crisis in the central defensive department. Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans have all missed key games this season with setbacks.
Manager Erik ten Hag will want to reinforce the position for next season and Givemesport claim that Man United could re-enter the pursuit of Todibo, who was on their radar last summer. The Frenchman has been earmarked as the most affordable alternative to Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite and could be available for a cut-price fee of £40 million.
Possible signing
United were looking into a late move for Todibo during last summer’s transfer window, but nothing materialised in the end with Harry Maguire opting to continue at the club. However, they are expected to invest on a marquee centre-back this time around with Raphael Varane’s contract expiring at the end of the season.
Todibo has been a long-term target and the club’s chances of signing him should significantly improve with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s minority investment. Ratcliffe has taken control of the footballing operations with his 25% stake at United. The Englishman is also the owner of Nice which should facilitate a smooth transfer.
The former Barcelona man would be a fantastic signing for United with his solid defensive qualities. He has won 1.8 tackles, 4.3 duels and made 3.3 clearances per league game this season alongside 7.6 ball recoveries. Todibo is also brilliant with the ball at his feet and has averaged 75 passes per outing with a 90% success rate.
In the current transfer market, £40 million would be a bargain fee for a player of his calibre. United should be clear favourites to land the 24-year-old star, who was described as a ‘very talented‘ player by his former Nice teammate Aaron Ramsey.
