West Ham make bold statement by snatching €40m France international deal from rivals

West Ham made a bold statement to their Premier League rivals by pulling off a stunning €40m (£34m) transfer for France international defender Jean-Clair Todibo, beating out competition from other clubs.

That’s according to the latest reports, which indicate that the Hammers have swooped in to beat Italian giants Juventus to the centre-back’s signature.

Juventus were in talks with OGC Nice for weeks in the hope of singing Todibo but the French club stood firm on their valuation and refused to sell for a low price.

That opened the door for West Ham, who are confident of getting the ‘final green light’ from the player in the next few hours, says transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

West Ham director Tim Steidten travelled to Nice to hijack the deal, which is set to be accelerated today with the Hammers trying to book Todibo in for a medical.

Nice will receive €40m (£34m) plus a sell-on clause for the 24-year-old defender – in a deal that will initially be a loan with an obligation to buy.

It is a significant coup for West Ham, with Todibo highly-rated and wanted by many top clubs this summer, in what is a statement to their top-flight rivals.

Todibo, capped twice by the French national team, started his career in France but joined La Liga giants Barcelona five years ago.

He struggled to break into their XI and instead spent time out on loan at Schalke, Benfica and Nice before joining the latter club permanently in 2021.

Todibo has played 136 games for Nice to date, heling them reach the final of the Coupe de France in the 2021-22 season.

The Premier League 2024-25 Supercomputer has predicted that West Ham will finish ninth in the table.

West Ham will be hoping to finish higher than that, though, with the east London club under fresh management after Julen Lopetegui replaced David Moyes.

They finished ninth last term – and 14th the season before – although they were focused on other competitions that year, winning the Europa Conference League.