West Ham United believe Jean-Clair Todibo transfer is still on cards after bid update
West Ham believe they can conclude a deal to sign Jean-Clair Todibo this summer despite having a bid rejected by OCG Nice, The Athletic reports.
According to the outlet’s website on 3 July the Hammers offered €30million [£25.4m] for the French defender but were turned down this week.
But with the 24-year-old having emerged as a “prime transfer target” at the London Stadium the club still feel they can land him, since Nice are ready to “cash in” on him during the current window.
The Ligue 1 side are owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS, now minority owners at Manchester United, with the British billionaire indicating the Old Trafford side have been unable to buy Todibo due to UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules.
So far Luis Guilherme and Wes Foderingham have arrived on permanent deals.
Nice defender wanted at West Ham after Max Kilman push
It is no secret that the Irons are trying to overhaul a defence which conceded more goals than all but the three relegated sides in the Premier League last term under David Moyes.
Their top target appears to be Wolves captain Max Kilman, who new boss Julen Lopetegui wants to reunite with after managing him at Molineux.
But that is widely reported to require a bid of £45m to get done [BBC Sport, 18 June] so clearly won’t be cheap, but it doesn’t look like a deal for Todibo will be either.
To an extent it is inevitable that it will cost to sign top-level centre-backs, but when the Hammers may be in the market for at least two it remains to be seen how far the budget will stretch for Tim Steidten.
If Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma are sold for decent fees it would certainly make it easier to spend on their replacements, but the age-old problem of having to wait to sell in order to buy runs the risk of missing out on targets.
When it comes to Kilman it looks like a deal is there to be done if the club want to pay for it, and so it likely follows for Todibo as well if Nice are willing to sell but the asking price is above where the Irons have come in.
With bids being turned down for both of around £25m [Telegraph, 21 June] it fits the pattern of West Ham’s tendency to start bidding some way below what the selling club wants and negotiate from there.
If it works and Steidten brings in players for decent fees it looks clever but unless or until that happens it can be a frustrating process.
In other West Ham news, the club have held talks over a deal to sign a multiple league winner who starred last season.
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