Sir Jim Ratcliffe makes decision on Jean-Clair Todibo transfer negotiations with Spurs amid Man Utd fan pressure

Incoming Manchester United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made a decision on the future of Nice centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo amid interest from Tottenham.

As per the BBC, Sir Jim Ratcliffe is eager to get a deal signed off before Christmas Day, which would see his Ineos Group pay around £1.25billion to buy 25 per cent of United and assume control of football operations.

The publication claimed that advisers on all sides would work late on Friday, and if necessary, into the weekend to conclude the long-awaited deal.

Once an agreement is reached it will be followed by a six-to-eight-week period for the purchase to be signed off by the Premier League. In turn, next month’s transfer window will be closed by the time Ratcliffe is officially involved at the club.

And the Evening Standard has now claimed that Ratcliffe, who is also Nice owner, would not stand in the way of Todibo joining Tottenham in January, despite United's long-standing interest in the centre-back.

The publication has claimed that Ratcliffe’s impending deal at United is not expected to complicate Spurs' pursuit of Todibo, provided the London club meet Nice's £35million asking price.

Spurs have reportedly entered talks with the Ligue 1 club over the 23-year-old and are allegedly ahead of United in the race for his signature.

The north Londoners are said to have held discussions with Todibo's representatives and have guaranteed that the France international will have a prominent first-team role alongside Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero.

In recent months Todibo has attracted interest from some of Europe’s top clubs, with a spate of reports having linked the player to United, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and AC Milan.

But Spurs have reportedly made the centre-back their top priority in January after Van de Ven’s hamstring issue and Romero being on the cusp of a second suspension of the season.

Full-backs Emerson Royal and Ben Davies have deputised at centre-back while Eric Dier does not appear to be in Ange Postecoglou's long-term plans.

Topics: Football, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Manchester United, Transfers, Premier League, Nice, Ligue 1

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.