According to journalist Rudy Galetti, Man United are the current favourites to sign Nice’s 24-year-old defender Jean-Clair Todibo.
Todibo was on Barcelona’s books from January 2019 to January 2020 during which he made only six appearances for the club but since 2021, he has played 100 games for Nice.
This season, he has a rating of 7.45 out of 10 in 17 league appearances for the French side and there’s a belief amongst the experts that Nice are willing to part ways with the central defender during the January window.
Chelsea have enquired about the player’s availability while Spurs are also interested in signing the French defender and as per some rumours both the Premier League sides will probably challenge Man United in this transfer race.
Manchester United are amidst a deep defensive crisis with Martinez, Harry Maguire and Lindelof all out injured so they have to go out and sign a new centre-back in January.
Also, Ten Hag is ready to offload Raphael Varane which means the Red Devils need to bring in a long-term replacement for the ex-Madrid man.
Nice are demanding around €50 million for Todibo which is something Man United won’t mind paying but they will have to withstand pressure from Spurs and Chelsea.
Tottenham have lost Romero and Van de Ven to injuries so they too want to bring in a new centre-back and they are preparing a formal approach for the Frenchman.
Obviously, there will be question marks on whether Man United should go battle Chelsea and Spurs for Todibo, let alone spend €50 million on the 24-year-old but he’s been brilliant for Nice this season.
With him in defence, Nice have conceded only nine goals in 17 Ligue 1 games this season and currently, they sit second on the table just five points behind PSG. Also, there have been assurances that a move for Todibo is not going to hamper Man United’s move for Benfica’s Antonio Silva who happens to be the club’s priority transfer.
Any move for Silva will only happen at the end of this season so if Manchester United are willing to spend money on Jean-Clair Todibo in January then maybe we are going to see multiple exits in the summer. Varane could leave and there’s also a chance Ten Hag will offload Victor Lindelof.
Spurs and even Chelsea will have a solid crack at this because they too need defensive reinforcements but it’s Man United who needs to bring in fresh faces if they wish to have any chance of finishing in the top four this season.
