FC Barcelona looks set to receive a surprise cash injection from the expected sale of one of its … [+]
FC Barcelona looks set to receive a surprise cash injection from the expected sale of one of its former players to the Premier League as reported on by transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, who cited anonymous sources.
Jean-Clair Todibo was on the fringes of Barca’s first team around the turn of the decade and struggled to earn minutes in the starting XI despite his potential.
As the Catalans’ financial problems piled up and forced them to offload players, the Frenchman went to Schalke and Benfica on loan.
In 2021, he finally found his feet at Nice who exercised its option to buy him outright for a much welcomed $9.3 million (€8.5 million) while a further $7.6 million (€7 million) possibly coming the Blaugrana’s way in variables was also agreed upon.
The rise of Pau Cubarsi and Ronald Araujo has proven that Barca hasn’t entirely lost out by not keeping Todibo around, but it is still true that the 24-year-old has gone on to become one of the most highly-regarded defenders in Ligue 1.
This means he has naturally attracted interest from around Europe, with Romano previously reporting in May that the likes of Newcastle United, Manchester United and Liverpool have all scouted Todibo and sent its personnel to watch him up close.
The Italian explained that Todibo should be in for a “top club move this summer”. Almost three months later, this looks to have been proven true.
As part of an exclusive, Romano tweeted on Friday that Todibo is on his way to London with his agent where he should sign for West Ham in the Premier League for a $43.7 million (€40 million) obligatory fee after he has completed yet another loan spell.
This is excellent news for Barca, which was smart to include a 20% sell-on clause if Todibo was offloaded elsewhere.
Quick maths tells us that the La Liga giant will pocket $8.7 million (€8 million) from the transfer, yet its structure in Todibo first joining the Hammers on loan might mean that Barca’s slice of the pie doesn’t make its way south to Catalonia until next summer.
