Romano KNOWS Man Utd’s Maguire replacement

Robin Bairner

• 7 Aug 2023 08:20 BST
• 4 min read

Fabrizio Romano has revealed the identity of the central defender that Manchester United will attempt to sign should they sell Harry Maguire.

Maguire has tumbled down the pecking order at Old Trafford since the arrival of Erik ten Hag as manager. The England international started last season as club captain but by the end of the campaign his role had diminished such that he was fifth-choice centre-back, behind even left-back Luke Shaw.

The 30-year-old has been up for sale since the beginning of the transfer window, but it is only now that there is serious action being taken.

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West Ham have reportedly started the final stages of a transfer move for Maguire and Man Utd teammate Scott McTominay, with David Moyes eager to take both to London.

Ten Hag, though, does not want to be left short at centre-back, where his natural options in addition to Maguire are Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof, with the possibility of veteran Jonny Evans remaining at the club for next season.

According to Fabrizio Romano, if Maguire was to depart, Ten Hag would move to secure Nice centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo, a 23-year-old who previously enjoyed a spell at Barcelona earlier in his career.

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“Manchester United had contacts to be informed on the conditions of Jean Clair Todibo deal. No bid or talks at this stage as the option could only be activated if Harry Maguire leaves,” Romano indicated.

Since leaving Barca, where he was perceived to have an attitude problem because he felt he was not getting the first-team football that he merited, Todibo has earned a reputation as being one of the best centre-backs in Ligue 1 and has been on the fringes of the France national team squad.

Juventus have been following the centre-back this summer but have been put off by the fact that Nice want at least €30 million for the rising star, with a benchmark set against Lyon’s Castello Lukeba, who is wanted by RB Leipzig.

Todibo has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of a little over €24m and with four years still to run on his Nice contract, the sum the Ligue 1 club would ask Man Utd for a fee does not appear outrageous.