Everton jump ahead of Man Utd in race for Jean-Clair Todibo

Everton have jumped ahead of Premier League rivals Manchester United in the race to sign Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo this summer.

The 22-year-old centre-back made 40 appearances across all competitions last season. He was also a virtual ever-present in Ligue 1 as his side finished a respectable fifth in the table.

Todibo, who played for Barcelona as a teenager, is nominally a centre-back. However, he’s also versatile enough to feature as a defensive midfielder.

And GOAL in France claims, that after Manchester United showed initial interest, Newcastle, AC Milan and Sevilla are also considering offers for the player.

The report adds that Everton is the ‘most obvious’ destination for the Frenchman. However, at this stage, no offer has been made by Frank Lampard’s men or any other club.

The Toffees have so far made only one signing this summer, with James Tarkowski arriving on a free.

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More are expected to follow though as Lampard looks to build a squad capable of challenging in the top half of the table.

One potential new arrival is Burnley midfielder Maxwel Cornet, who has a £17.5m exit clause in his contract.

The Clarets star missed a recent pre-season match with them amid interest from Everton. However, the initial loan-to-buy approach from the Toffees was later revealed to have been unsuccessful.

And now, according to the Daily Mail, they are now willing to try again by paying up front for the Ivory Coast international.

Everton begin the new Premier League campaign with a home game against Chelsea on August 6.