Man Utd, Newcastle United and Liverpool target now 'number one choice' for La Liga giants

Manchester United’s attempts to sign Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo could be hampered by new interest in the France international.

The centre-back started his career at Toulouse before joining Barcelona on a free transfer during the summer of 2019.  However, after making just four appearances for the Catalan giants and spending time on loan at Schalke 04 and Benfica, Todibo joined Nice on a permanent deal during the summer of 2021 after spending the second half of the season on loan with the Ligue 1 club.

Since making that permanent switch, the 24-year-old has become an integral part of the setup at the Allianz Riviera and his form earned a maiden call-up to the senior France squad earlier this season when he made his debut in a friendly defeat against Germany in September before making a competitive bow in a 14-0 win against Gibraltar just two months later.

His progress at Nice has sparked intense speculation over Todibo’s future at Nice - and the centre-back refused to give too much away about what could lie ahead when he was questioned over the transfer talk linking him with a move to the likes of United and Premier League rivals Newcastle United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. 

Speaking earlier this season, he said: "I am at Nice and we’re having a great season.  I don’t have my head elsewhere. If I did it would be difficult for me personally and for the group too.  I feel really good at Nice. We’ll see what happens in the summer but we’re not there yet. I don’t want to get ahead of myself. 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.”

With the summer transfer window approaching, FootMercato has now claimed La Liga giants Atletico Madrid have made Todibo their ‘number one choice’ to strengthen their defensive ranks following their Champions League quarter-final exit at the hands of Borussia Dortmund and are hoping to convince both Nice and Todibo to give the green light to a move to the Spanish capital.