Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo had been willing to join West Ham United this summer, before Juventus showed an interest and complicated matters.
That’s according to L’Equipe, who report that the player has created something of a headache for everyone involved as he holds firm and wants to join the Italians.
A report earlier today stated that West Ham’s move for Todibo had been ‘frozen’ at this moment in time as he wants to join Juventus and won’t listen to any other proposals.
L’Equipe provide their own stance on the matter but basically say the same thing, explaining that the player’s desire to move to Turin has created a roadblock and led to tensions rising at Nice.
They explain that West Ham’s interest in the defender dates back several weeks when they made an offer of €35m for him. At that point, he was interested in the move and asked them to accept the offer.
Nice, though, rejected it and considered him more valuable so held out for a bigger offer to arrive. This didn’t happen and West Ham instead went and bought Max Kilman from Wolves.
That looked like being the end of the matter, but the Hammers have returned in the last few days, although L’Equipe say they may have been encouraged by Nice to do so.
Either way, the Hammers are changing the structure of their offer and increasing it, with the latest idea getting close to €40m excluding a resale percentage. That’s a bid Nice would be happy to accept.
Now, though, the problem lies with Todibo, who has changed his mind. He’d been keen on West Ham for a while but now Juventus have shown an interest, that’s no longer the case.
The Italian side have ‘seduced’ the defender, whose long been a far of them anyway, and he’s now convinced that’s the best move for him. Juventus, though, won’t offer anything near what Nice want.
The French side keep referring to the bid from West Ham, pointing out that if they’re willing to pay such a figure then the defender must be worth that and so they’ve no need to accept less. The prospects of Juventus offering €40m are slim, though.
And so now everything is on stand-by, stuck in a stalemate that seems likely to last for much of the window and leave West Ham hanging in the process.
