Man Utd closing in on £34m centre-back signing as Ten Hag summer spend nears whopping £200m

Manchester United are closing in on the £34.1million signing of a Ligue 1 centre-back, according to reports coming out of France.

Erik ten Hag has been looking to bolster his back line over the remaining weeks of the summer window, despite the decision to bring back Jonny Evans and the club’s failure to offload Harry Maguire.

The Red Devils actually agreed a £30m fee with West Ham to sell the England man only for Maguire to reject a switch to the London Stadium in favour of staying and fighting for his place at Old Trafford.

However, Ten Hag remains unconvinced that the former Leicester man has the quality to be a regular starter under his stewardship.

To that end, the Dutchman wants another body on board to compete in the centre-back rotation.

Bayern Munich’s versatile star Benjamin Pavard was a major target but looks increasingly likely to head to Inter Milan instead.

But another name on Ten Hag’s wanted list in Nice ace Jean-Clair Todibo, and it appears that United are close to getting a deal over the line – as reported by L’Equipe.

The 23-year-old former Barcelona defender is currently vice-captain of Nice following an impressive spell in the south of France.

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Ten Hag a fan of Todibo profile

It’s reported that his mix of physicality, speed and ability in possession is what has attracted Ten Hag to chasing Todibo.

If the Nice star does indeed complete a switch to Old Trafford, it would push United’s summer outlay up to £200m – some way over the £120m limit it was thought was in place for Ten Hag at the start of the window.

The Dutchman would also like another central midfielder on board before the September 1 deadline, with United having been overrun in that area in the opening two games of the season.

Ten Hag’s men are back in action on Saturday when they host Nottingham Forest in the Premier League at Old Trafford.

READ MORE: Talks underway, with Man Utd to offload star Ten Hag has used in both matches this season