Barcelona still want rid of €25m man despite Leicester, Everton bids failing
Leicester City and Everton have both fallen short in their attempts to sign Jean-Clair Todibo from Barcelona, according to reports.
Barcelona are looking to sell Todibo before the transfer window closes, as they do not have enough room for the centre-back.
Ronald Koeman wants his new club to find a new defender in the remaining weeks of the transfer window. In that event, Barcelona will have to sell someone to make space.
According to Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), they have now received two offers for Todibo – both of which came from the Premier League.
Leicester and Everton are the two interested parties. However, neither club has met the asking price for the 20-year-old.
Barcelona want to recoup €25m for Todibo, whom they only signed last year. That price tag was the value of the option to buy they included in the deal to send him to Schalke on loan in January, but the German club did not take it up.
Todibo made 10 appearances between league and cup duty for Schalke. Now, he could seek more regular gametime in England.
Leicester are in the market for a new defender, having failed to sign an immediate replacement for Harry Maguire last summer. Caglar Soyuncu and Jonny Evans did well last season, but the Foxes are aware that the latter is ageing.
They had been linked with Burnley’s James Tarkowski, but West Ham seem to be the leading contender for his signature.
Everton to deal with Barcelona again?
Meanwhile, Everton have recently appeased Carlo Ancelotti with the high-profile signings of Allan, James Rodriguez and Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Now, they could turn their attention to strengthening their backline – and it wouldn’t be the first time they have turned to Barcelona to do so.
Back in 2018, the Toffees signed centre-back Yerry Mina and left-back Lucas Digne from Barcelona. Midfielder Andre Gomes has also made a similar switch in recent years.
Reports back in April suggested Everton had reached an agreement for Todibo already, but it would appear they actually still have work to do.
