Newcastle United eye £40m-rated ex-Barcelona man with competition from Liverpool & Man United

Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo, 23, has been scouted by the three Premier League clubs and has been touted for a big summer move worth around £40million. Todibo has been a regular at Nice over the past two-and-a-half seasons after initially joining on loan from Barcelona.

The former France Under-20 defender’s move from Barcelona became permanent in 2021 for £7.5million plus add-ons after Benfica had turned down a £17.5million option to buy the young defender. He has since made 99 appearances for Nice, scoring twice.

And scouts from Newcastle, Manchester United and Liverpool watched Todibo as he made his 99th appearance last Saturday in a 2-1 win over Rennes, as reported by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Newcastle are looking to bolster their defensive options this summer in preparation for European football next season. And given the success of Sven Botman and Bruno Guimaraes’ transfers from Lille and Lyon respectively, The Magpies won’t be shy in dipping back into the French market should they see a player they like.

Eddie Howe’s side currently have Botman and Fabian Schar as the club’s first-choice centre-backs. Dan Burn is also an option in the position but has played the majority of the campaign at left-back.

Club captain Jamaal Lascelles has been used as a back-up option at centre-back this season, starting just two Premier League matches and has since been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to injury. And with Schar turning 32 later this year, Newcastle will be looking to plan for the future and assess young centre-back options to help bolster their defensive line for years to come.