It’s always awful to see a player’s career stall when they make a massive move far too early, but it finally looks like Jean-Clair Todibo found his feet at Nice last season.
He moved to Barcelona in 2018 when he had only played in ten Ligue 1 games for Toulouse, so it was always going to be a huge step up in quality when he moved to the Nou Camp.
Loan moves to Schalke and Benfica didn’t go well and Barca’s struggles meant they were never going to rely on him in the first team, and a permanent exit looks like the best option for him just now.
A return to Nice would allow him to build on that good work from last season where he became a first-team regular and looked impressive, and it appears that a deal is close:
OGC Nice are progressing in talks to buy Jean-Clair Todibo on a permanent deal from Barcelona for €8.5m guaranteed + add ons. There’s no buy back clause included. ???
Still final details on payment terms to be discussed between the two clubs – then it’ll be completed.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 14, 2021
It’s a good deal for both clubs as Barca will get a reasonable fee to boost their transfer budget for the summer, while Nice won’t have to deal with a buy-back clause which would inevitably see him bought back and sold on to the highest bidder at the first available opportunity.
Todibo will finally get the chance to go into a season with the status of a first-team regular, so hopefully he’s able to develop from here as he lives up to that early promise.