Ineos doing Man Utd no favours in bid to sign £47m defender, concerns over fee makes deal unlikely

Add as preferred source on Google

Manchester United are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements and this summer could see this prioritised.

This season, one of the biggest factors in the struggles of Manchester United has been the dismal defensive department which has been plagued with injuries.

Lisandro Martinez is probably the only central defender with a long-term future at the club if he can overcome recent fitness issues.

But, Raphael Varane (30), Harry Maguire (31), Jonny Evans (36) and Victor Lindelof (29), are all either past their best or realistically not good enough for United to get back to challenging with.

Therefore it’s more than likely that two defensive arrivals come to Old Trafford this summer. But now one of the top targets seems unlikely due to concerns over his fee, with Ineos not helping.

• READ MORE: Who are INEOS? Exploring Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s billion-pound business

Ineos not doing Manchester United favours in Jean-Clair Todibo chase

According to 90min, United’s chase to sign French defender Jean-Clair Todibo who currently plays for Ineos-owned Nice.

United had long held an interest in Todibo before the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and after his arrival, it seemed like a move could be made easier.

This however isn’t the case as despite sharing owners, Nice aren’t inclined to offer United a discount deal on their prized possession.

Nice are said to be demanding a fee of between £47m and £51m which isn’t seen as the best value for money despite being cheaper than other options.

Jarrad Branthwaite and Juventus’ Bremer are viewed as more ideal choices this summer but a final decision is yet to be made.

Centre-half has to be the priority this summer

Ineos may not be able to score a cheap deal for Todibo but if he isn’t worth spending £47m on, then maybe it’s for the best.

This means the club have other options who they prefer as a centre-half signing in the summer.

We have to trust that the new footballing structure will get it right and bring in the perfect centre-halves to fix the problem position which has played a massive role in Erik ten Hag‘s struggles this season.

With Todibo potentially off the table, we are excited to see who is chosen as the alternative this summer.