Jean-Clair Todibo battles with Kylian Mbappe
A trusted transfer journalist has tipped Manchester United to bid for Jean-Clair Todibo in January, along with another in-demand centre-back.
The 23-year-old Nice star is considered to be one of the best young defenders in France and several Premier League clubs are thought to be interested.
TEAMtalk recently revealed that Nice will be seeking a fee somewhere between £43.5m and £50m for Todibo, which would make him the most expensive defender to ever leave Ligue 1.
Todibo signed for Nice from Barcelona in 2021 and has gradually become one of the French club’s most important players.
This season, he has made 12 Ligue 1 appearances and his fine performances have helped his team rise to second place in the table.
Along with Man Utd, Tottenham are also keen on signing Todibo in January as Ange Postecoglou looks to bring in more cover for the currently injured Micky van de Ven.
The Red Devil’s have the most long-standing interest in the France international, however, having first been linked with him back in 2019.
With that in mind, we could potentially see the Premier League duo in a bidding war for Todibo this winter.
Man Utd and Tottenham keen on Todibo, Silva
According to reputed transfer journalist Florian Plettenberg, Todibo remains on Man Utd’s transfer shortlist for January.
“Jean-Clair Todibo, understand that he remains a candidate for Man Utd in winter,” Plettenberg wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Man Utd is a possible destination for the 23-year-old. It should not affect a transfer of Antonio Silva, who is still their top target for next summer!”
As mentioned, Nice will demand a fee in the region of £50m for Todibo in January, so it will be interesting to see if Man Utd or Tottenham match that price tag.
Interestingly, Plettenberg also names Antonio Silva as a key Man Utd target. The 20-year-old Benfica centre-back is ironically also being chased by Tottenham.
The Portugal international is a target for the end of the season rather than in January, however, and will be very expensive.
Silva has a £86.7m release clause in his contract and Benfica are not willing to sell him for any less than that amount.
Therefore, we could see two very exciting young defenders make a switch to Old Trafford in the coming months if Erik ten Hag gets his way, but Tottenham are ready to battle for both players.
