Jean-Clair Todibo looks set to depart Nice this summer - but Manchester United could see their work cut out to land the French defender.
The 24-year-old has already seen interest develop from the likes of United, Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea in recent months, and now Atletico Madrid are said to have made the star their priority. A £40million fee has been touted for the centre-half, and the Ligue 1 side could soon be hoping to welcome a bidding war.
The Red Devils might have hoped for an advantage in the race for Todibo following Sir Jim Ratcliffe's investment in the club. INEOS, who Ratcliffe founded and now sits in position as chief executive and chairman of, own French club Nice.
Ratcliffe clearly has an interest in signing players early in their development - and he could now reap the rewards with Nice. Todibo has proven a successful signing on that front for Nice. The French team landed the central defender on a loan deal with an option to buy in February 2021 and secured his signature in a deal worth £7.2m, that could rise to £13m.
Speaking in March, Ratcliffe explained his ideal transfer philosophy on The Geraint Thomas Cycling Club Podcast in March (via Sky Sports ). The sports team owner does not want to simply splash cash on the best players.
"I'd rather find the next Mbappe than spend a fortune trying to buy success," he said, "It's not that clever, is it, buying Mbappe, in a way?
"Anyone could figure that one out," he added. "Much more challenging is to find the next Mbappe or Jude Bellingham or the next Roy Keane."
"It's not where our focus is, the solution isn't spending a lot of money on a couple of great players. They've done that over the last 10 years. The first thing we need to do is get the right people in the right boxes who are managing and organising the club and make sure we get recruitment right. It's such a vital part of running a football club today, finding new players."
Todibo's current contract runs until 2027 and the former Barcelona ace has not ruled out staying with Nice. Speaking in March, the France international said he would decide his future at the end of the season.
“I don’t want to get ahead of myself," he said. "I don’t want to give false hope. For now, I’m here at Nice. Football moves quickly, you never know what’s going to happen.
"I’ll wait until the summer to make my decision. If my decision is to stay, I’ll announce it, if it is to leave, I’ll announce it too and I’ll thank everyone, but we’re not there yet.
"There are important games coming up. The goal is that if it is to be my final season at OGC Nice, then I want to leave here having done something beautiful with the club. The supporters and the club deserve players who give everything on the pitch, and to achieve something substantial. Personally, if I am to leave, I want to leave something good behind.”
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