With the signing of a new striker and midfielder seemingly set to be high on the agenda for Manchester United this summer, it does appear that manager Erik ten Hag is also keen to strengthen his centre-back ranks, amid reports that club captain Harry Maguire could be shown the door.
One name that has been mooted as a potential option this summer is Ajax starlet, Jurrien Timber, with journalist Fabrizio Romano having stated last month that Ten Hag is the "biggest fan" of the 21-year-old, with United said to be constantly "informed" about the Dutchman's situation in Amsterdam.
The 5 foot 10 centre-back – who worked under his compatriot at the Johan Cruyff Arena – was also a reported target for the Red Devils last summer prior to the capture of his centre-back colleague, Lisandro Martinez, with The Guardian having claimed at the time that the Old Trafford outfit had begun talks regarding a possible £43m swoop.
With Timber subsequently going on to sign a new contract extension with the Eredivisie side, no such move came to fruition, with it again now looking as if the Carabao Cup winners won't be able to get their man, following reports that rivals Arsenal have lodged a £30m offer for the Utrecht native.
If the Gunners are to wrap up a deal in the near future, Ten Hag will be forced to look elsewhere to find a suitable alternative to help bolster the backline, with the aforementioned Romano notably stating earlier this week that the club have been scouting Nice star, Jean-Clair Todibo of late – with the promising Frenchman valued at around £26m, according to reports in Spain.
Who is Jean-Clair Todibo?
The former Barcelona man could well represent a "big bargain" for any potential suitor this summer – according to talent scout Jacek Kulig – having blossomed into arguably one of the most "underrated" defenders in Europe of late following his standout showings in his native France.
Previously described as the "best centre-back I've seen in a long time" by German legend Lothar Matthaus during a prior loan spell at Bundesliga side Schalke, the 6 foot 3 machine is certainly a well-regarded figure in the game, despite having failed to make his mark at Camp Nou where he made just five senior appearances.
Having spent the last two-and-a-half years at Nice – after initially signing on loan in February 2021 – Todibo has become a standout presence for the Ligue 1 outfit, having been described as being as "solid as a rock" by the aforementioned Kulig in the recent past.
The one-time Toulouse starlet could well provide a greater ball-winning asset than that of Timber if he is to make the move to the Theatre of Dreams, as the 23-year-old has averaged 2.38 tackles per 90 across the last 365 days to rank in the top 8% in that regard among his European peers, while the Ajax man has averaged just 1.40 for the same metric.
Todibo's brilliance at playing out from the back is also shown by the fact that he ranks in the top 5% for successful take-ons at an average of 0.63 per 90, with that again a superior record to Timber, who has averaged just 0.56 per 90 while featuring outside of Europe's top five leagues.
That would suggest that the signing of the one-time France youth international could allow Ten Hag to forget all about his former asset, with Todibo potentially set to be the 'bargain' defensive option that United are in need of.