According to a recent report by Daily Mail, Premier League outfit Everton have opened talks with Barcelona over the potential acquisition of French U20 international defender Jean-Clair Todibo. The report suggests that the Toffees are keen to make defensive additions to their side to strengthen the back-line, with a transfer fee in the region of £17.4m being quoted for the youngster. The Merseyside club are said to be looking at the possibility of moving for Lille man Gabriel Magalhaes as well.
It is also clarified that the Toffees were interested in signing the French defender in January, but that he was instead shipped out to Bundesliga outfit Schalke on loan. Although the German club did have an option to buy for £21m, they didn’t choose to exercise it and are instead said to be looking at other loan options. The Barcelona defender is said to be one of the various names at the Camp Nou that could be shipped out to raise funds for the upcoming summer transfer window.
What Would Jean-Clair Todibo Add To Barcelona Next Season?
The Frenchman is a 20-year-old centre-half who began his professional career with Ligue 1 side Toulouse, before being signed by Barcelona back in January 2019. Having been in the Catalan side’s books for over a year now, the youngster has only made five first-team appearances. The Schalke loanee is a talented young defender who possesses excellent technical ability on the ball for a man of his size.
Standing at 1.9m tall, the Frenchman offers himself as a massive presence in either box, and although he’s still mostly an unpolished gem, the scope for development is unbelievably broad.
The youngster seems to read play well, and since making a move to the Bundesliga in January, he had already notched up seven first-team appearances at Schalke before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a halt. There’s no denying that the French defender is a raw talent, owing to which there have been certain question marks about his actual potential.
Should Barcelona Look To Cash In On Him This Summer?
Barcelona will always be classed as one of the biggest football clubs in the world, but the most alarming threat that the Catalan side will have to deal with shortly is finding the successor to Gerard Pique. The Spanish veteran has been an inexplicably big part of all the success that the Blaugrana have enjoyed over the years, and his influence within the side simply cannot be underplayed. At 33, the Spaniard isn’t getting any younger, and Barcelona will do well to identify a successor.
Clement Lenglet is another who looks well-set in the role, but Samuel Umtiti, on the other hand, just doesn’t seem to make the cut. Bringing Todibo back to the Nou Camp and allowing him time alongside Pique or Lenglet next season could be the right thing for the Catalan side to do.
Todibo undoubtedly meets all the physical requirements to be Pique’s successor, and given time and proper nurturing, the Frenchman could develop into quite the player. Keeping Todibo within their books should be Barcelona’s first priority at this point, even if that means sending him out on loan again next season.
