Todibo to Man Utd: Sir Jim Ratcliffe refuses to offer discount on Nice defender

Robin Bairner

• 13 Mar 2024 13:14 GMT
• 4 min read

Manchester United find themselves in the bizarre position of being unable to agree a fee with Nice for France centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo, respected journalist Ben Jacobs reports.

Man Utd are one of a number of big clubs who are interested in 24-year-old Todibo ahead of the summer transfer. Chelsea and Liverpool are among the other sides from the Premier League closely following the player.

The Red Devils should, in theory, hold a massive advantage in order to sign the talented youngster given that Nice are a sister club of the Red Devils. Both share a common owner in the form of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos group, who hold a stake of around 25% in Man Utd.

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According to Jacobs, though, negotiations aren’t progressing as smoothly as would be expected.

Nice want to sell Todibo for between €55-60 million, he states, but the Red Devils don’t believe that’s value for money.

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This corresponds to FootballTransfers’ exclusive that the Old Trafford club have earmarked Jarrad Branthwaite as their priority target at centre-back for the summer transfer window. Indeed, they are willing to pay a greater fee for the Everton player, who is likely to cost around €25m more than the France star.

Todibo has been in shaky form lately, with Nice fans criticising his commitment to the club after Friday’s Ligue 1 loss to Montpellier, leading to angry clashes with supporters after the full-time whistle.

United not alone in Todibo stance

Man Utd’s position on Todibo mirrors that of other sides.

Tottenham walked away from a potential transfer in January over Nice’s asking price for the player.

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Jacobs adds that “most suitors believe the 24-year-old should be available for closer to the €40m (£34m) mark”.

While this is all standard practice in terms of transfer negotiations, what is curious about this deal is that Man Utd cannot even come to an agreement with their own people over how much Todibo should cost.