Manchester United have held discussions with the representatives of Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo, according to Sky Sports reporter Melissa Reddy.
Are Man United signing Jean-Clair Todibo?
The Red Devils have already made three big-money signings so far this summer in Mason Mount, Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund, but there could still be room for further arrivals before the September 1 deadline.
However, attention appears to be on moving players on ahead of the club’s Premier League opener with Wolves, one of which being Harry Maguire. The centre-back now appears to be closing in on a £30m transfer to West Ham after an agreement was reached on Wednesday.
As a result, Erik ten Hag could be on the hunt for a new defender to replace Maguire, with Todibo a player who has been heavily linked in recent weeks.
Fabrizio Romano claimed earlier in the window that Man United were still monitoring Todibo ahead of a possible deal after scouting the Frenchman and new Chelsea signing Axel Disasi, with a new update now emerging.
Reddy took to X on Wednesday morning after the news broke regarding Maguire and a move to West Ham. The senior Sky Sports reporter said that the Red Devils “have done due diligence on several defenders” and have held talks with the agents of Todibo over a potential transfer.
“Manchester United have done due diligence on several defenders, including Jean-Clair Todibo of Nice, should they be in a position to sign a replacement for Harry Maguire.
How good is Jean-Clair Todibo?
The 23-year-old has been on the books at Toulouse, Barcelona, FC Schalke, Benfica and Nice during his career and appears to be going from strength to strength in France.
Now valued at a career-high €30m by Transfermarkt, Todibo is an out-and-out centre-back who has made over 100 appearances for his current employers.
He has even previously been hailed by German legend Lothar Matthaus, who praised the player for being “incredibly calm”.
“Todibo is the best centre back I’ve seen in a long time.
“At 20 he is incredibly calm, he always finds interesting solutions.”
As per FBref over the past 12 months, Todibo has been compared to Red Devils star Lisandro Martinez and ranks highly in a number of areas compared to his positional peers.
When it comes to tackles, Todibo places in the 90th percentile, whereas he also ranks in the top 5% of centre-backs for successful take-ons, showing his ability both on and off the ball. Other stats where he has impressed are progressive passes and passes into the final third and he is also in the top 7% for dribblers tackled and the top 4% for ball recoveries.
Therefore, should Maguire complete his £30m move to the London Stadium over the coming days, United may well look to use that money to fund a move for Todibo, who could come in and rival Martinez and Raphael Varane with a busy season ahead which includes Champions League football returning to Old Trafford.
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