Huge blow for Manchester United, Chelsea look to steal top target

Manchester United top target in defense has drawn the attention of other top clubs

21/01/2024, 03:36 PM +00:00

Chelsea look to hijack this player from United

If there’s one club that loves centre-backs it is Chelsea football club. The club has signed what feels like 100 centre-backs over the last couple of years with the signings of the likes of Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, and Axel Disasi. Whilst already having the likes of Levi Colwill and Thiago Silva. Meanwhile on the red side of Manchester, United need quality at the position and this summer they are looking to address it.

United have been linked with some top centre backs this month that the club are looking to sign for the summer. Some of the names include Ronald Araujo, Matthijs De Ligt, and Jarrad Branthwaite. Looking at the three names, it’s easy to guess what kind of defender United want in terms of profile and age range. However, for United, those criteria are a criterion that Chelsea has been using since the arrival of Todd Boehly at Chelsea.

Both clubs are in rebuild mode, but with Chelsea having more financial power currently it has given Chelsea an advantage in the market. But Manchester United are in the beginning of a new era with the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS. And yesterday the club made a big hiring in their board by appointing Omar Berrada for the CEO position. Berrada is arriving from Manchester City, which makes this a huge coup for United.

United have been linked with Jean-Clair Todibo since the summer as he was the top target to replace Harry Maguire, but Maguire never left so United were not able to get the funds for the player. Now the race for Todibo has increased with the likes of Chelsea joining according to Fabrizio Romano, and there is previous reporting of Bayern and Spurs holding an interest in him. United have one advantage over the other clubs as Todibo plays for OCG Nice who is owned by Sir Jim.

Nice’s stance on Todibo sale

According to Fabrizio Romano, a sale for the defender is highly unlikely unless a team blows them away with an offer. In the summer a sale is more likely for the Frenchman.