Sources: Man United lead Tottenham in race to sign Jean-Clair Todibo
Man United currently lead Tottenham in the race to sign Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo in January after climbing into pole position in recent hours, sources have told Football Insider.
The Red Devils are the current favourites to land the 23-year-old centre-back despite increased interest from Spurs in recent weeks.
United have been scouring the market for a new centre-back with Lisandro Martinez struggling with injury and Raphael Varane falling out of favour under Erik ten Hag.
Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof have been the preferred defensive duo by Ten Hag in Martinez's absence, but the Dutchman is eager to bring in a new recruit to address United's poor defensive record.
United are prepared to utilise Sir Jim Ratcliffe's ownership links with Nice to accelerate the deal - the British billionaire's INEOS group are majority owners of the Ligue 1 club.
As reported by Football Insider (6 December), United are expected to announce their minority investment deal with Ratcliffe at the start of next week.
Due to Premier League clubs voting to not ban related-party deals last month, United are free to trade with other European clubs owned by INEOS.
As reported by The Mirror, Todibo is currently valued by the French club at £40million.
Todibo has become a key player for Nice in recent seasons with the athletic defender boasting 115 appearances for the first-team since joining in 2021.
He has played a pivotal role in Nice's success this season, making 12 league appearances to help the club climb to second in Ligue 1.