‘Don’t rule out Man Utd!’ – Romano issues Spurs warning over €45m transfer target

Robin Bairner

• 21 Dec 2023 08:28 GMT
• 3 min read

Fabrizio Romano has told Tottenham that Manchester United remain a threat in the transfer race for Nice centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo.

Spurs have opened talks with the France international centre-back over the course of the last week regarding a possible transfer in January, but as FootballTransfers exclusively revealed, they are also following Rady Dragusin of Genoa.

Man Utd have long been linked with Todibo, and Romano has said that the Red Devils could still be a threat in this saga.

He also warned that Nice’s stance on a transfer will be vital as the London club want a deal done rapidly.

On the Daily Briefing, he stated: “In the last seven days, Tottenham spoke to Todibo’s camp, and also to Nice, as they seek to understand the conditions of the deal.

“Spurs want Todibo, but the timing will be important - they don’t want to spend the whole month negotiating this deal with Nice, so the conversation is ongoing but they have other options as well.

“One of those could be Radu Dragusin of Genoa. At the moment he looks set to sign a new contract there, but that doesn’t mean he’s not leaving.”

Romano underlines Man Utd's Ratcliffe advantage

Romano also underlined that Man Utd still stand a strong chance of landing Todibo as they have a foot in both camps via incoming minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is also in charge of the French side.

“Let me mention once again that Todibo remains on the list at Manchester United,” he added.

“The INEOS group own Nice and are set to purchase a 25% stake in Man United, and so they are pushing for Todibo to arrive at Old Trafford.

“So, United and Tottenham are both in the race, and it could still be open to other clubs as well because nothing has been decided yet. For sure I wouldn’t rule United out because it still looks like an open race.

“In terms of Todibo’s fee, it’s not completely clear yet but I would expect him to cost somewhere in the region of €45m.”