Man United have “had contacts” about Todibo.
According to trade expert Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United have “had contacts” about signing OGC Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo, but no bid has been made as he can only be purchased if Harry Maguire leaves the club.
Harry Maguire is joining which club?
A number of Premier League clubs have expressed interest in Maguire, with Everton now in negotiations over a season-long loan deal for the England international, allowing Man United to make room in the squad for a younger player.
According to Football Insider, Chelsea and Tottenham are also interested in signing the 30-year-old, and West Ham United have already had a bid rejected, indicating that there will be no shortage of suitors during the last month of the transfer market.
Erik ten Hag recently chastised his team for surrendering a “stupid” goal against Athletic Bilbao, which the Englishman was responsible for, but the United manager is not keen to get rid of him this summer.
It has recently been claimed that the centre-back might stay at Old Trafford next season if the Red Devils do not receive a reasonable offer, and the player himself is said to be eager to stay and fight for his place, implying that a departure is unlikely.
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According to a new update from Romano on X, Manchester United will be able to sign Todibo only if Maguire departs the club this summer, having lately “had contacts to be informed on the conditions” of a deal for the OGC Nice defender.
At this point, there has been no bid or direct conversations with Nice, and Maguire appears to be no closer to leaving the club, thus the deal is not as near to completion as previously stated.
However, United may benefit from the fact that Juventus dropped out of the fight for the Frenchman’s signing last week.
How talented is Jean-Clair Todibo?
Jacek Kulig, a football talent scout, enthused about the Nice center-back in January, claiming that he may be a terrific signing:
“Jean-Clair Todibo,” he says. I turned 23 a month ago. At the moment, he is one of Europe’s most underappreciated central defenders. Having a fantastic season despite Nice underachieving significantly. Excellent defensive and build-up abilities. The whole shebang. In the summer, this could be a great deal.”
As Kulig pointed out, the 6 foot 3 colossus is still young, but he has been putting in some extremely great performances for Nice, confirming himself as a crucial first-team player by appearing in 70 Ligue 1 games over the past two seasons.
When compared to his positional contemporaries, the £21k-per-week defender rates in the 92nd percentile for tackles per 90, and he has also demonstrated his ability in possession of the ball, rating in the 95th percentile for successful take-ons.
Maguire’s time at United is coming to an end, with the former Leicester City defender making a mistake that led to a goal against Athletic Bilbao at the weekend, and Todibo might be a top-quality long-term replacement.
