According to Sky Sports reporter Melissa Reddy, Manchester United has met with the representatives of Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo.
Are Manchester United interested in signing Jean-Clair Todibo?
The Red Devils have already made three high-profile signings this summer in Mason Mount, Andre Onana, and Rasmus Hojlund, but there may yet be room for more before the September 1 deadline.
However, it appears that the focus is on moving players on ahead of the club’s Premier League opening against Wolves, one of them is Harry Maguire. After reaching a deal on Wednesday, the center-back now appears to be on his way to West Ham for a fee of £30 million.
As a result, Erik ten Hag may be looking for a new defender to replace Maguire, and Todibo has been prominently connected in recent weeks.
Fabrizio Romano said earlier in the window that Manchester United were still scouting Todibo and new Chelsea player Axel Disasi ahead of a possible trade, with a new update now appearing.
Reddy went to X on Wednesday morning, following the announcement of Maguire’s transfer to West Ham. According to the senior Sky Sports reporter, the Red Devils “have done due diligence on several defenders” and have held contact with Todibo’s management about a prospective transfer.
“Manchester United have conducted extensive research on several defenders, including Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo, should they be able to sign a replacement for Harry Maguire.”
“Discussions with Todibo’s representatives have taken place in order to gauge the parameters of a potential deal.”
How talented is Jean-Clair Todibo?
During his career, the 23-year-old has played for Toulouse, Barcelona, FC Schalke, Benfica, and Nice, and he appears to be on the rise in France.
Todibo, who has made over 100 appearances for his current club, is now valued at a career-high €30 million by Transfermarkt.
He has previously been complimented by German legend Lothar Matthaus, who described him as “incredibly calm.”
“Todibo is the most talented center back I’ve seen in a long time.”
“At the age of 20, he is incredibly calm, and he always finds interesting solutions.”
According to FBref, Todibo has been compared to Red Devils player Lisandro Martinez over the last 12 months and ranks strongly in a number of areas when compared to his positional contemporaries.
Todibo is in the 90th percentile for tackles and in the top 5% of centre-backs for successful take-ons, demonstrating his proficiency both on and off the ball. Other numbers in which he has excelled include progressive passes and passes into the final third, as well as being in the top 7% for dribblers tackled and the top 4% for ball recoveries.
As a result, if Maguire completes his £30 million transfer to the London Stadium in the coming days, United may look to use that money to fund a move for Todibo, who could come in and compete with Martinez and Raphael Varane in a busy season that includes Champions League football returning to Old Trafford.