Manchester United face a huge summer transfer window and fans will be expecting additions – especially in the heart of defence.
United ended the 2023-24 campaign on a real high, beating Manchester City 2-1 in the final of the FA Cup.
Erik ten Hag saw his side turn in arguably the best performance of the season with a superb victory at Wembley.
United were so solid off the ball, something we haven’t seen a lot of this season, and were able to effectively shut down Erling Haaland.
Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane formed a strong centre back pairing against City but United need new options at the back.
Martinez’s injury woes have been a major problem all season long and Varane is leaving the club at the end of his contract.
That leaves United to potentially need not just one centre back, but two or even three if Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof move on too.
Jean-Clair Todibo on Manchester United
United have been linked with so many centre backs of late and Jean-Clair Todibo is just one of them.
Nice defender Todibo is a fairly easy link given that Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have taken control at Old Trafford.
Ineos own Nice and moving Todibo to United without much drama seemed like a sensible move.
Todibo has now spoken to The Telegraph and looked back on a trial period he had with United.
The 24-year-old emerged with Les Lilas in France before heading to train with United back in 2016, just months before signing for Toulouse.
Todibo has admitted that his main memory was watching Marcus Rashford’s incredible breakthrough into the United side – and loved the experience of being at United.
“It was a good experience,” said Todibo. “I discovered a little bit what the professional world was like,” he added.
Rashford is still at United to this day but Todibo’s path has been a little different.
After shining for Toulouse, Todibo joined Barcelona in 2019 – and that move really set him back.
Loans to Schalke and Benfica really didn’t work out and Todibo needed to return to France with Nice to really get back on track.
Now one of the top centre backs in Ligue 1, Todibo seems ready for a big move again – and it could come with United.
Todibo could join Rashford at Old Trafford
Reports earlier in May suggested that Todibo is keen to sign for United this summer with a £35million price tag on his head.
The links to Todibo go back to January with Fabrizio Romano claiming that Ineos believe him to be ‘perfect’ for United.
A deal doesn’t actually seem any closer though and United are left to try and figure out whether Todibo is a top priority or not.
Homegrown centre backs such as Tosin Adarabioyo and Marc Guehi appear to be key targets and Todibo may be placed behind them in the pecking order.
The Ineos connection would surely help United win the race for Todibo, or at least block a move elsewhere amid interest from other Premier League clubs.
It’s more than eight years since Todibo spent time with United and the chance to finally turn out in the famous red shirt will surely appeal – and he may end up playing alongside Rashford after witnessing his meteoric rise.