Romano reveals the truth behind Chelsea's Todibo talks

Tom Weber

• Updated: 2 Jan 2024 13:05 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea have not opened talks with Nice over Jean-Clair Todibo, but they have been scouting him, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Frenchman is one of Europe's most sought-after players due to his consistently outstanding performances for OGC Nice in Ligue 1. Especially this season, Todibo is catching the eye as the main man in the French side's defence, the best in the division, having only conceded nine times in 17 games.

The more Todibo plays, the more it is becoming clear that it will be a struggle for Nice to keep hold of him in 2024. While a January move is unlikely, the 24-year-old could well depart in the summer. Indeed, Manchester United hold a long-standing interest and had already wanted him in 2023. They will feel that they hold an advantage in the race to sign him due to INEOS' ownership of Nice.

More recently, Tottenham emerged as a potential option for the Frenchman, but they are now focusing on snapping up Genoa's Radu Dragusin, while also keeping an eye on Ko Itakura at Borussia Monchengladbach. On Monday, a sensational report claimed that Chelsea had barged into the Todibo race and opened talks with Nice, but Fabrizio Romano has now rubbished this assertion.

Chelsea appreciate Todibo, but...

"The interest [in Todibo] remains from different clubs, including [in] England, Italy and many others," Romano said on his YouTube channel. "So, from what I'm told, the rumours about Chelsea - the interest, appreciating the player - it's absolutely true in the sense that Chelsea know Todibo very well as a centre-back and Chelsea are following Todibo."

"But at the moment, from what I'm told, there is no concrete contact, no concrete negotiation taking place. As of today. Let's see what happens in the next weeks, but at the moment, it's not something concrete."

"For Chelsea, it's also important to offload players, like Trevoh Chalobah, in that position." Regarding Man Utd's interest, Romano reiterated that the Red Devils are still keen, but that only a summer move is realistic at this point.