Tottenham Hotspur are set to beat Manchester United to a top-class defender
(Image credit: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
Tottenham Hotspur are looking to strengthen at centre-back in the January transfer window and are aiming to beat Manchester United to a major deal.
According to Fabrizio Romano, talks with Nice's Jean-Clair Todibo about a potential move to Spurs are already underway. Todibo is both physically imposing and comfortable on the ball, a combination that has led to interest from a host of Premier League clubs.
Man United were heavily linked with a move for the 23-year-old during the summer but he weighed up his options and decided it was best to stay at Nice.
Jean-Clair Todibo tries to stop Kylian Mbappe dribbling through the Nice defence (Image credit: Getty Images)
But that situation could change next month as Spurs, who have been hit by injuries and suspensions recently, look to bolster their squad for the second half of the season.
Micky van de Ven's impressive start to life in English football was curtailed by a hamstring problem and Cristian Romero missed three games following a red card for a wild tackle against Chelsea. The Argentine international is known for his aggressive playing style and has also picked up four bookings in the league this season.
With Eric Dier out of favour under Ange Postecoglou, left-back Ben Davies has been deputising for Van de Ven in recent weeks.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Tottenham's pursuit of Todibo is complicated by Man United's interest and the potential takeover by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who also owns Nice.
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Ratcliffe would understandably be reluctant to sell such a talented player to one of United's rivals, with five points currently separating the two clubs. After failing to make an impression at Barcelona earlier in his career, Todibo is wary of being swallowed up by another chaotic powerhouse club.
He made his debut for France in September and is desperate to be included in Didier Deschamps' squad for the Euros.
Sean Cole is a freelance journalist. He has written for FourFourTwo, BBC Sport and When Saturday Comes among others. A Birmingham City supporter and staunch Nikola Zigic advocate, he once scored a hat-trick at St. Andrew’s (in a half-time game). He also has far too many football shirts and spends far too much time reading the Wikipedia pages of obscure players.
