Newcastle United, Aston Villa and West Ham are among several clubs to have made an approach for OGC Nice’s highly-rated defender Jean-Clair Todibo in recent times.
Jean-Clair Todibo, 23, played for Barcelona between 2019 to 2021 but failed to make an impact, with the defender racking up only five appearances amid spending time on loan with FC Schalke and Benfica. He initially joined OGC Nice on loan from Barcelona in February 2021 before the move was made permanent in June 2021. The French club paid €8.5m (+ €7m in variables) to Barcelona, who embedded a 20% future sell-on fee.
Since moving to Nice, the former France Under-20 international has managed to revive his career, racking up more than 100 appearances so far. Todibo’s performances in Ligue 1 haven’t gone unnoticed, with a host of clubs vying for his signature.
As well as Newcastle, Aston Villa and West Ham, the 23-year-old is also reportedly wanted by Paris Saint-Germain and Napoli. With four years still left on the defender’s deal, Nice will only consider offers in the region of €40 to €50 million. However, Todibo is ready to continue at the Allianz Riviera for another season as he focuses to make it to the France squad for the 2024 European Championships.
OGC Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo is on the radar of multiple clubs
Jean-Clair Todibo has become a sought-after commodity in the market following his impressive displays for Nice in the last 18 months. He has gone strength-to-strength and regained his confidence in Ligue 1 after enduring a torrid time at Barcelona. This has resulted in multiple clubs across Europe, including Premier League trio Newcastle United, West Ham and Aston Villa making contact with Nice over Todibo.
Newcastle are looking to bolster their squad ahead of next season as they prepare to welcome Champions League nights back to St James’ Park. And the Magpies would love to have a young talent like Todibo in their defensive ranks.
As for Aston Villa, Unai Emery has already strengthened his defensive options by signing Pau Torres from Villarreal. However, he is still keen on further reinforcements at the back and would enjoy working with Todibo, who possesses a mix of technical skills and physical attributes to compete in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, West Ham, armed with £105m after Declan Rice’s sale to Arsenal, are looking to reinvest in different areas of the squad. David Moyes wants to kickstart the club’s window, and signing Todibo would be some sort of statement. The 23-year-old fits the bill perfectly at West Ham, and he would be an instant upgrade on the injury-prone Kurt Zouma, having not missed a single game for Nice due to injury so far.
It remains to be seen which Premier League club would be willing to splash in the region of €40 to €50 million to sign Todibo this summer.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
