Official: Barça defender Todibo joins Nice on loan with option to buy
The French centre-back returns to his homeland after unsuccessful spell in Portugal
Jean-Clair Todibo has joined Nice on loan from Barcelona until the end of the season following a disappointing period with Benfica.
Todibo has signed for Nice until June 30 and the French club maintain an option to make the deal permanent for €8 million plus €7.5m in potential add-ons.
The French defender joined Barça from Toulouse in January 2019 and went on to play five games for the club: two in 2018-19 and three more in 2019-20, including a Champions League match against Inter Milan.
He joined Schalke on loan until the end of the season last January, where he did relatively well for the misfiring German side.
L’#OGCNice et le @FCBarcelona sont tombés d’accord sur le prêt avec option d’achat de @jctodibo ✍️
— OGC Nice (@ogcnice) 1 de febrero de 2021
Bienvenue Jean-Clair 🤝🔴⚫️ pic.twitter.com/zjpz4V3Hkq
He made 12 appearances for Schalke before joining Benfica at the start of the current campaign.
However, things didn't go so well in Portugal and he had to wait until Jan. 12 to make his debut in the cup. He leaves having made just two appearances in total.
If Nice decide not to sign Todibo, he will return to Barça and the incoming president will decide his next move.
Coach Ronald Koeman was explicit on Saturday when asked if he had considered bringing him back to help with the club's centre-back shortage -- "he's a Barça player but he's not in my plans."
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"Todibo already thought he was a phenomenon & he lacks humility"
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