According to the Daily Mail, Everton will ‘open talks over a £17.4m deal’ for Jean-Clair Todibo. The 20-year-old has an uncertain future at Barcelona after struggling for playing time in his debut season, which led to him joining Schalke 04 on a loan-to-buy agreement in January.
The Daily Mail say Schalke can sign Todibo on a permanent deal for £21m this summer, but Everton may be able to hijack the deal if they don’t trigger his release clause. Carlo Ancelotti wants a centre-back to accompany Yerry Mina, Michael Keane and Mason Holgate, but Sodibo may be a gamble.
The 20-year-old has made only five appearances in all competitions for Barcelona since his 2019-move from Toulouse. Todibo has made seven appearances on loan at Schalke, so he hasn’t had a lot of first-team football in the last 15 months.
Under Marcel Brands, Everton are on the hunt for young talent to replace the ageing deadwood in the squad. At centre-back, the Blues have been linked with Gabriel Magalhaes, Marash Kumbulla, Issa Diop, Tosin Adarabioyo and Kalidou Koulibaly among others, but it remains to be seen who they’ll end up signing.
The Toffees never replaced Phil Jagielka or Ashley Williams last summer and could be losing Matthew Pennington in the coming months, so it’s essential they strengthen the backline in the next transfer window.