Manchester United target set to join PL rivals after Old Trafford move was blocked - Reports
Manchester United target Jean-Clair Todibo is reportedly set to join West Ham United this summer. The Hammers hijacked his potential move to Juventus from OGC Nice.
Juventus were interested in signing Todibo and were in talks with Nice and the player for a potential move. However, as per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, West Ham came in at the last minute and have hijacked the move. They are set to sign the defender on a one-year loan deal with a €40 million obligation + a sell-on clause.
Todibo was also heavily linked with a move to Manchester United earlier this summer. The Red Devils were set to sign him but UEFA blocked the move. This is because United and Nice are both set to compete in the UEFA Europa League and are under the same ownership - INEOS. Reporting this, Romano said earlier this summer (via Football365):
“Jean-Clair Todibo was 99% a new Manchester United player. Everything was done, also on the player’s side, then everything collapsed because of UEFA rules.
“UEFA denied the possibility for any player to join a club with the same ownership playing in the same European competition; so before the final at Wembley, Manchester United prepared everything to have Jean-Clair Todibo as a new player. Now, there is nothing ongoing."
Todibo, 24, joined OGC Nice from Barcelona in 2021 and has since made 136 appearances for them.
Manchester United target continues to wait as West Ham hoping to sign United star: Reports
As per Fabrizio Romano, West Ham United will move to sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka after completing the move for Jean-Clair Todibo. They are confident of signing the right-back whose contract expires next summer. He's made 190 appearances for the Red Devils since arriving from Crystal Palace in 2019.
A potential move for Wan-Bissaka will then see Manchester United make their moves to sign Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich. As per Romano, he's already agreed on personal terms with the club and is now waiting.
Mazraoui is primarily a right-back but can play in a number of positions like defensive midfield, centre-back, and more. He joined Bayern from Ajax in 2022 and has since made 55 appearances for them across competitions.
Erik ten Hag's side, meanwhile, are also interested in Bayern defender Matthijs de Ligt, as per Romano. They have already signed defender Leny Yoro from Lille and striker Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna this summer.