Ligue 1 club chief dashes Chelsea’s hopes of signing former Barcelona defender

Nice director Florent Ghisolif confirms Chelsea target Jean-Clair Todibo is not for sale

OGC Nice sporting director Florent Ghisolfi has put a dent in Chelsea FC’s pursuit of Jean-Clair Todibo and claimed he has no intention of selling their highly-rated defender.

The Premier League trio of Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are keen on securing the services of the prominent defender, whose defensive prowess has seen Nice concede only 11 goals this season—the lowest tally in the entire French top flight so far.

His performance was rewarded with a national team call-up last year, and the 24-year-old made his debut for France in their 14-0 demolition of Gibraltar. Given how well he performed this season, Todibo was bound to be linked to elite European clubs and it’s hard to keep a star player when many clubs are keen on signing him.

However, the Ligue 1 side’s sporting director has confirmed that they have no intention of selling Todibo, (h/t Metro). When asked by a reporter, Ghisolfi said:

‘’As we’ve said since the offset, we are working on stability, and stability is keeping your best players. Jean-Clair and Thuram are definitely that, as players and as leaders, as they are vice captains. We absolutely want to keep them.”

Every team wants to hang on to its best players, and the sporting director of Nice is no different. It is understandable that Nice want to retain Todibo and Khephren Thuram, their two best players. But in the sport today, money talks and it remains to be seen whether Chelsea can make the French side an offer they cannot refuse.

A player like Todibo is built for major league football, and his maturity in performance is impressive. Whichever club he joins for the upcoming season—that all depends on how much money they are ready to spend on him—he will be a superb inclusion. Hopefully, it will be the Blue of Chelsea rather than a direct opponent.

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Because of his spectacular performance, his stock will rise, and by the summer of next year, we can anticipate that Nice will attach a hefty price tag to him that may be difficult to afford. But then, the best players never come cheap and the Ligue 1 giants know they have just such a talent on their hands.