Exclusive: Fee emerges as Man Utd told exactly when they can sign France star enjoying stunning campaign
Manchester United are expected to wait until next summer to pursue the signing of Jean-Clair Todibo, TEAMtalk can reveal.
Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that emphasis is being placed on the recruitment of a new Manchester United defender to arrive in 2024 but completing a big-money permanent deal for Todibo in January is likely to prove too tricky.
The player is almost certain to leave Nice next year but convincing him to do so halfway through the season has it’s complications, with Nice flying high. They currently have the best defensive record of any team in Europe’s top five leagues – conceding just four goals from 11 matches.
Todibo has started ten of those games as Nice have charged to the top of Ligue 1 and the player is focused on continuing an unbelievable run of form that has seen the side keep six successive clean sheets.
When the time comes for Nice to sell, which they will become open to, sources expect a fee upwards of £43.5million – which would trump the £39m Chelsea paid to take Axel Disasi from Monaco last summer.
It means Todibo is going to become the most valuable centre-back departure in Ligue 1 history when he does move – and the figure may even stretch towards £50m as his status grows this season.
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United have tracked Todibo for some time and relations with Nice should be smooth, given Sir Jim Ratcliffe is owner of the club. He is primed to buy a minority stake in United too and plans to boost their transfer kitty for next year. But a deal between those two clubs would come under the spotlight, bringing another layer of doubt to it being done quickly.
The defence is certainly a pressing issue for United as focus in the transfer window will lead them towards lowering the average age of the squad in 2024.
Jean-Clair Todibo can future-proof Man Utd defence
By next season their back line will consist of four players over the age of 30, with only Lisandro Martinez under that milestone number.
United see Todibo, 23, as a good profile fit for where the team is heading but also continue to keep an eye on other prospects – including Goncalo Inacio of Sporting Lisbon, who is now being taken seriously as a target for Real Madrid, too.
Chelsea were linked with a move for Todibo on Tuesday, with Mauricio Pochettino on the hunt for a centre-half who can become Thiago Silva’s successor. However, United will provide the Blues with stern competition for Todibo.
