Man Utd urged to move for ‘Premier League-ready’ star immediately after Fabrizio Romano confirms Ten Hag interest

Manchester United have been told why they must swoop in for Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo as soon as possible, with the former Barcelona man becoming a hot topic around Europe.

Todibo came through the Toulouse academy before signing for Barca in January 2019. However, he only made five senior appearances during two and a half years on Barca’s books as he had three loan spells in that time.

The centre-back became a permanent Nice player in July 2021, following an initial loan, and he has been gradually improving his reputation since then.

Todibo made 46 appearances across all competitions for the Ligue 1 side last term.

However, he could now swap France for England as Man Utd are keeping tabs on his situation. On Monday, transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano revealed how Man Utd have asked Nice to keep them updated on Todibo after deciding on the Frenchman as a perfect replacement for West Ham target Harry Maguire.

And on Tuesday, Romano named Todibo as a ‘top target’ for Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford. The manager clearly thinks Todibo has the ability to compete with the likes of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez for a starting place at Man Utd.

READ MORE: Man Utd blow as top Ten Hag target ‘insists’ on European move as three clubs battle for £30m star

Unfortunately for the Red Devils, they are not alone in admiring the 23-year-old. He is also of interest to Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Napoli.

French football expert Jonathan Johnson has now explained why this summer is the perfect time for Man Utd to land Todibo. And Man Utd should bid sooner rather than later, in order to prevent a transfer hijack from elsewhere.

Expert discusses potential Man Utd signing

“He [Todibo] has made a home for himself with Nice over the last couple of years,” Johnson said during an appearance on Sky Sports News (via Football Daily). “[He] paired very well for a brief period of time with William Saliba, [who is] obviously at Arsenal now. He’s got himself in the reckoning to break into the French senior setup in the next couple of years.

“So it’s no surprise that big clubs are sitting up and taking notice of Todibo. I think given the fact that Nice don’t have European football this coming season, it is a really good opportunity this summer to potentially get a player who is already, in my opinion, Premier League ready, but somebody who also has a bit more room to develop, at a reasonable price.

“Because if Nice were to re-qualify for Europe, someone like Todibo I think would fetch a lot more than he could potentially be available for this summer.”

Man Utd are hoping to gain around £40m from Maguire’s sale, and most of that money could then be reinvested to sign Todibo. transfermarkt put his value at €30m (£25.8m), while his Nice contract runs until June 2027.

Meanwhile, new Man Utd striker Ramus Hojlund has named Cristiano Ronaldo and a current Red Devils player as his heroes.