The Red Devils are said to want to sign the back this summer. The summer transfer window is coming up soon, and Manchester United is already looking ahead to it. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his team are getting ready to make changes to the playing group.
This week, it was said that the club is planning to sell Scotland international Scott McTominay for a claimed £40 million. West Ham United is also interested in the player.
At the end of the season, the Red Devils have also been linked with a move to sign Viktor Gyokeres, a center forward who used to play for Coventry City and now plays for Sporting.
Erik ten Hag’s defense could get better before the 2024–25 season, though, because the club is said to be interested in a deal involving Ratcliffe.
TEAMtalk says that United want to sign OGC Nice central defender Jean-Clair Todibo this summer so that he can play in the middle of their defense. Nice is also owned by INEOS, which may help negotiations between the two clubs if they want to make a deal.
According to TEAMtalk, the Red Devils and the player’s agents have had several talks that have been called “exciting” and “positive.”
The outlet says that the center-back’s other, unnamed, suitors have dropped out of the race to sign him. This seems to have made it easier for United, who are “seriously” interested in the French giant, to sign him.
Nice has put a £40 million price tag on Todibo’s head, which is within Ratcliffe’s initial £150 million summer window budget. Now that United has talked to the player’s agents and is in talks with the French team, they need to finish the deal before the 2024–25 season.
Why Manchester United should sign Jean-Clair Todibo
As summer approaches, Victor Lindelof (29), Harry Maguire (30), Raphael Varane (30), and Jonny Evans (36) are all 29 or older. Todibo, on the other hand, would be a much younger choice for Ten Hag at the back.
United could buy the 24-year-old giant as a way to look to the future. His play in Ligue 1 this season also suggests that he could be better than Varane.
Raphael Varane (Premier League) 23/24 season
The table above shows that Todibo has done better than his countryman in a number of important defensive measures. He has won back control for his team much more often through tackles, steals, and returns, while his success rate in duels on the deck has been about the same.
Also, the best player for Nice has 5.67 progressive passes per 90 minutes, which is more than 37% of all Premier League center backs. Varane, on the other hand, only has 3.86 progressive passes per 90 minutes.
According to these numbers, the “complete package” that talent scout Jacek Kulig talked about could give more to United with his work both with and without the ball, because he has the skills and the forward-thinking attitude to keep moving the ball forward at an amazing rate.
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