Rijo Sam Daniel
Manchester United engaged in a transfer battle with Newcastle to sign Jean-Clair Todibo as asking price revealed
According to the French outlet Foot Mercato (h/t The Sun), Manchester United are currently engaged in a battle with Newcastle to sign Nice star Jean-Clair Todibo on a potential transfer. The ex-Barcelona central defender has attracted a host of attention from some of the major clubs across Europe as a result of his impressive displays.
Man United have expressed their interest in signing Todibo as they are looking into the market for defensive reinforcements. However, they will face competition from the Magpies for his services, with Sevilla and Napoli also vying to strike a deal with the French club.
The Ligue 1 side could be open to selling the Frenchman, considering how they have set a low asking price of £17million for the defender. The current valuation seems to be a steal as Todibo was arguably one of the best centre-backs in the French top division last season.
A market opportunity for Man Utd?
The Red Devils need to reinforce our backline ahead of the upcoming campaign, considering the struggles they underwent during that period. Conceding 57 goals in the Premier League is not ideal if there are plans to compete among the top and finish in the Champions League places moving forward.
That calls for the need to improve the options Erik ten Hag has at hand at this moment. While we are pursuing Ajax star Lisandro Martinez, another addition can also be made to have good defensive depth. That is especially the case when looking at the potential exits that could take place in this transfer window.
After all, we are willing to entertain offers for Phil Jones, Eric Bailly and Axel Tuanzebe this summer. Their departures call for the need to bring in more additions, which opens up a spot for Todibo to have a role under ten Hag’s new project.
Todibo’s performances against Paris Saint-Germain, for example, have been some of his best from the last season as he prevented the attacking trio of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar Junior and Lionel Messi from scoring even a goal against his team.
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In fact, Todibo helped Nice to become the best defensive set-up in Ligue 1 last season, tieing with PSG in the process. They only conceded 36 goals during that period which is quite an impressive feat indeed. They will now compete in the Conference League as their defence played a part in that outcome.
The 22-year-old made 40 appearances for his side in the previous campaign, scoring once and earning 15 clean sheets in the process. Todibo appears to be another one of those talented French centre-halves who have been on the rise in recent times. Securing his services for the current price is a great prospect indeed, but whether we will actively pursue him or not remains to be seen.
