Nice central defender Jean-Clair Todibo has confirmed he discussed a move to Manchester United last season.
The 24-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford last summer, but a deal did not materialise before the deadline.
United were planning to part ways with Harry Maguire to invest in a centre-back, but he decided to stay at the club.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Todibo has revealed that he does not want to discuss his future.
However, he added that there were talks about joining either United or Tottenham Hotspur during last season.
He said: “Honestly I don’t want to talk about [my future] because of my respect for the fans here and the club also. But we had a little discussion, for sure.”
Todibo would be a quality replacement for Varane
Varane has confirmed his departure from United when his contract expires this summer.
The club need a marquee replacement in the squad. Todibo would be an ideal fit with his strong ball-playing ability and defensive attributes.
He completed 73 passes per game last term with an accuracy of 90 percent. He won 4.4 duels per outing alongside 1.9 tackles, 3.3 clearances and 7.1 recoveries.
The Frenchman has all the traits to succeed in the Premier League. United and Spurs are reportedly interested, but the former could have the upper hand.
Both clubs will be involved in the Europa League group stage next term, but the Red Devils could hand more minutes to Todibo compared to Spurs.
Todibo could be an assured starter alongside Lisandro Martinez for most of the campaign. He could be behind Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven at Spurs.
Nice want around £34 million for a potential sale. As Sir Jim Ratcliffe is the French club’s owner, United have another big advantage in the pursuit.
Ratcliffe recently took control of footballing operations at United after his minority investment.
This should put the Red Devils in the front seat to sign Todibo, who was described as a defender with ‘incredible potential‘ by former Nice manager Francesco Farioli.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com.
