Nice boss wants Jean-Clair Todibo to stay amidst Manchester United interest
Francesco Farioli, the newly appointed manager of Nice, wants Jean-Clair Todibo to stay amidst interest from Manchester United this summer.
The defender has been linked with a move to the Red Devils in the ongoing transfer window. As things stand, the Old Trafford side are looking for replacements for Harry Maguire. The club have agreed an offer from West Ham United for the former Leicester City star.
As a result, United are considering bolstering their ranks with someone like Todibo. However, speaking to the media via France Bleu (h/t Manchester Evening News), Farioli is keen on keeping a hold of the French national but acknowledges that anything can happen in the coming weeks.
“I also have two vice-captains Khephren Thuram and Jean-Clair Todibo who are among the best players in the team.
“We would like both players to stay until the end of the season. But the reality of the transfer window escapes me. We’ll see what happens. As long as they’re here, I’m enjoying having them.”
Nice got Todibo in the winter window of 2021 from Barcelona. The 23-year-old was unable to make the cut at the Blaugrana and made his way to Ligue 1.
At the Allianz Riviera side, the French national found regular game time and developed over time. In the previous campaign, the centre-back impressed many with his performances.
Now Todibo is arguably a much more mature and refined player than before. Playing Alongside the veteran Dante, the former Bayern Munich defender, the French national seems to have learned a lot.
With Maguire possibly leaving, we will evidently need to add numbers to our ranks. Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez were Erik ten Hag’s go-to defenders last season. But we saw them both being out simultaneously for a period in the 2022/23 term.
Although, Victor Lindelof did put in an impressive shift in their absence. But we also saw Luke Shaw deputising in central defence on a few occasions under the Dutch manager.
More Manchester United News
- Bayer Leverkusen star Edmond Tapsoba on Manchester United radar
- Amiens SC interested in loan deal for Manchester United centre-back Teden Mengi
- Manchester United will attempt to sign Real Madrid star David Alaba this summer
Therefore, we should evidently not risk going into next season short on centre-backs. Todibo has the potential to become even better and looks like a wise option to hedge our bets on.