Report: Lampard set on Everton beating Newcastle & Man Utd to £17m star

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Everton are reportedly winning the race to sign French talent Jean-Clair Todibo, with Manchester United and Newcastle United also in the competition to sign the OGC Nice star.

According to Goal, the Toffees’ interest in the 22-year-old centre-back is quite high, with Everton plotting a move to sign the ‘standout’ Ligue 1 defender after an impressive season with Nice, with Todibo starting to get his career back on track after a failed spell at FC Barcelona.

As per the report, though, new manager Lucien Favre is not interested in selling Todibo this summer, with the defender believed to be valued at around €20m (£17m), a fee which Everton won’t be willing to match given the centre-back’s recent injury record at both Nice and Barcelona.

Frank Lampard’s side have been somewhat quiet in the transfer window this summer, with James Tarkowski the club’s only major arrival with Richarlison also leaving Goodison Park in a £60m deal to Tottenham, yet signing Todibo could be an exciting move for the Merseyside club.

Once one of Europe’s most exciting defensive talents, Todibo signed for Barcelona as a teenager to much excitement, though the Frenchman was unable to meet expectations during his time at the Camp Nou, with the defender having his contract terminated in 2021 to allow the youngster to sign for Nice.

And since returning to France, Todibo has been making incredible strides in his career, with the 22-year-old a regular for Nice last season and now attracting interest from Premier League sides, and Everton should be doing all they can to sign the centre-back this summer.

Todibo could be a great signing for Everton this summer

Todibo has enjoyed a career revival over the last 18 months with Nice, and Everton could be an ideal next step for the defender if Lampard is now reportedly stepping up his interest to sign the talented centre-back, who could be the Toffees’ new defensive superstar for years to come.

Indeed, Everton had a leaky defence last season and have made strides already this summer to assert these problems in Tarkowski, and signing Todibo could be another big step in the right direction for the Premier League side who will be desperate to improve on their final league position from the previous year.