Summary Man United have been looking to sign a defender in light of Harry Maguire's potential exit. A £43m option could emerge in the transfer market. The player would be a fabulous alternative to Bayern Munich's Benjamin Pavard.
Manchester United are still on the hunt for defensive reinforcements before the transfer window closes, and now a new update has emerged on the club's pursuit of a potential target.
Is Harry Maguire leaving Man United?
Man United agreed a deal with West Ham United for the former club captain to depart from Old Trafford this summer, however, after not agreeing personal terms in good time, the Hammers pulled out of the deal earlier this week.
As it stands, Maguire will continue in his very limited role under Erik ten Hag this season, unless another opportunity presents itself to sell on the 30-year-old over the remaining two weeks of the window.
That said, the Red Devils could still be in the market for a defender.
According to French newspaper Nice-Matin (via Sport Witness), Man United are interested in signing OGC Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo this summer.
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As per the report, the Red Devils are exploring other avenues of bolstering transfer funds after a move away for Maguire fell through this week and remain keen on signing Todibo as they look to improve the quality of their defensive presence.
Would Todibo be a good Maguire replacement?
Due to the agreement that was in place for Maguire's exit, Man United had started working on a move for Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard, something that the Bundesliga giants have continuously pushed back on despite the player agreeing personal terms in the potential deal.
However, it is looking more likely that Pavard will remain in Germany with Bayern unwilling to part ways with their centre-back after an opportunity to sign Manchester City's Kyle Walker fell through.
As a result, Ten Hag could now turn his attention to Todibo in the dying days and weeks of the window, and the Nice titan could be the perfect alternative to Pavard.
Over 34 Ligue 1 appearances last season, the Frenchman – who has a reported price tag of up to €50m (£43m) – tallied up an 89% pass completion rate, successfully completed 78% of his dribbles and won 65% of his duels combined, proving he is a huge presence on the pitch.
Not only that, the young defender has been the recipient of high praise from former Nice teammate Aaron Ramsey, who waxed lyrical about Todibo's strengths and talents last season:
"Jean-Clair is a very interesting character; he’s very confident and he’s a great guy around the dressing room and he’s a very, very talented player, who can go all the way to the top."
"He’s a great guy, a great player and very ambitious, so there is no reason that he can’t go all the way to the top and represent France."
When comparing Todibo's output with Pavard's last season, the 23-year-old "rock" – as he was dubbed by scout Jacek Kulig – shared many similarities to his compatriot in a number of key attributes including pass completion rate (88.5% v 88.3%), percentage of dribblers tackled (73.2% v 75%) and aerial duels won (57.4% v 66%), as per FBref.
With that being said, the signing of Todibo would be a great opportunity for Ten Hag to bolster the quality and youthful presence in the Man United back-line to continue his pursuit to build a dominant and successful team for the future.
