Everton are the ‘best placed’ team to sign Jean-Clair Todibo this summer, with Barcelona desperate to finalise a deal before the end of this month.
The Blues are on the hunt for a central defender this summer, with the position having been a problem one for them for some time.
Todibo is one who has been linked, with him expected to leave Barcelona this summer after spending time on loan at Schalke.
There have been numerous reports about a move for the last six months, with claims that Carlo Ancelotti wants to recruit the youngster and Everton’s Director of Football Marcel Brands could use his relationship with Barça to get a deal over the line.
The belief was that Barcelona have Todibo on a list of players they want to move on this summer and Marca confirm that is the case.
They say the Catalan giants want to make €70m in transfer profit before the end of the month to balance the books and allow them to make their own signings.
This is a yearly thing for Barcelona, and the newspaper says there are ‘enough players’ on the exit ramp with ‘sufficiently high’ market value to get them what they want.
Todibo is one of the players on the list and has a €25m market value, which would represent a big profit on a player who arrived for just over €1m a year ago.
He’s available because Schalke have decided not to exercise a purchase option and there are several teams interested in him.
Everton are the ‘best placed’ of those clubs, and it’s claimed they have the ‘financial muscle’ to undertake a move for him ‘without complications’.
What price they would have to pay isn’t mentioned, although it is presumably somewhere around the €25m market value, the newspaper has put on him.
Todibo, for his part, is ‘ready to sign for another team’ meaning if Everton do make their move, convincing him shouldn’t prove too difficult.
