Marseille won't love West Ham's stance on Jean-Clair Todibo sale amid transfer latest

West Ham United aren't going to be bullied when it comes to Jean-Clair Todibo.

It's been widely reported that can and wants to leave West Ham this summer.

The 26-year-old defender didn't feature at all for the Hammers in pre-season, nor has he been in a matchday squad to open the 2026-27 term.

Having joined from Nice in the summer of 2024, a return to French football with Marseille has been strongly touted in recent weeks.

West Ham will be keen to offload the centre-back before the deadline, freeing up vital transfer funds and room on the wage bill.

However, they're determined not to be pushovers in any negotiations either.

What West Ham don't want to be with Jean-Clair Todibo

It was reported earlier this month that Marseille had agreed terms to join Marseille, with an initial loan deal mooted.

Since then, however, the deal doesn't appear to have progressed much, leaving the saga in a state of limbo.

The reason for this wasn't clear, but a fresh update from France could explain why the move hasn't gone through yet.

According to French reporter Mohamed Toubache-Ter on X, West Ham don't want to be a Restos du Cœur (French charitable organisation) when it comes to Todibo and Marseille.

In simpler terms, the Hammers aren't looking to let the Frenchman leave on the cheap, and won't be pressured into signing unfavourable terms.

This is a commendable attitude for West Ham to take, but is it the wisest one?

West Ham are taking major risk with fresh Todibo stance

Contracted at the London Stadium until the summer of 2029, in theory, West Ham don't need to rush to sell Todibo.

As a result, they are in a contractual position to hold out for the best deal possible.

However, with all parties evidently keen to get a transfer done, and with now just a week remaining in the window, the risk of this backfiring is growing.

The last thing the Hammers will want is to have to keep an unhappy and potentially unsettling presence of Todibo around until January at the earliest.

It's clear he and Nuno Espirito Santo don't see eye to eye, and that's not a situation that anyone should want to fester in the Irons' dressing room.

West Ham have been able to raise significant funds through player sales now too, so surely they can afford to take somewhat of a hit on Todibo in order to move him on.

In summary, this should boil down to West Ham preferring to accept less favourable terms and move Todibo on rather than keeping him.