£40m rated star admits he is torn after Manchester United scouts watched him

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Jean-Clair Todibo admits he is torn over a move away from Nice after Premier League giants Manchester United sent scouts to watch the £40 million-rated defender.

If we presume that a striker, a ‘number eight’ and a ball-playing goalkeeper are Erik ten Hag’s top three transfer targets this summer, then a right-sided centre-half probably comes in at fourth.

A nice thing to have, yes, but not quite a priority. Manchester United, after all, will still have Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof at their disposal if Harry Maguire goes.

Any concrete moves for the likes of Kim Min-Jae, Jurrien Timber or Axel Disasi, meanwhile, are likely to be as dependent on Maguire’s sale as they are on that long-awaited takeover.

And with both situations seemingly stuck in stasis for the time being, it seems that those wanting a new centre-half will have to remind themselves of the virtue of patience.

Manchester United could sign a new centre-half this summer

Kim, per Fabrizio Romano, is Man United’s number one pick of all the defenders currently on their radar.

Todibo, meanwhile, appears to have been lined up as one of a number of alternatives, alongside Timber, Disasi and Juventus’ Gleison Bremer. 

But while reports have indicated that Kim, Timber and Disasi are all open to a move to Old Trafford, Timber does not sound quite so convinced.

“I don’t know if it would be the right choice to go elsewhere,” the 23-year-old Frenchman tells RMC Sport.

“It’s not the time to think about it. I am much more serene about this now. If I am called upon to make a choice, I will do it with a lot of reflection.

“I am very grateful to Nice. They have given me a lot, and I hope to give back as much as possible by wearing this shirt. What allowed me to find peace is my personal life. I found my wife, and I have stabilised. My arrival at Nice has also given me sporting stability.”

Romano reports that United sent scouts to watch the £40 million Todibo back in May, alongside Liverpool and Newcastle.

It would certainly be interesting to see what a Sir Jim Ratcliffe takeover would mean for the one-time Benfica loanee. Ratcliffe, one of two frontrunners to wrestle United out of Glazer control alongside Sheikh Jassim, has owned Nice since 2019.