What Ineos have done now to try and bring Jean-Clair Todibo to Manchester United

Top target Jarrad Branthwaite is proving expensive and is keeping Everton from dropping their bids, while Leny Yoro has opted for Real Madrid.

Jean-Clair Todibo was another top target for £40m, however UEFA rejected the move as both Nice and United are in the Europa League next season.

Ineos was told it was not approved by UEFA, but that did not stop them from continuing to look for a solution. Now, they’ve gone the extra mile to do so, presumably under the argument that if United pay a fair price to Nice, there shouldn’t be a problem.

Ineos is now pushing for the Jean-Clair Todibo solution

While a move for Jean-Clair Todibo had seemingly reached the zero percent probability level, it may not be as certain as first thought.

Fresh hope of adding Todibo to the defensive ranks comes from journalist Sacha Tavolieri who has now claimed that Ineos want to bring the Frenchman to Old Trafford.

It is reported that Ineos are now prepared to challenge UEFA regulations, which have so far denied Todibo a move to Manchester. To do so, Swiss lawyer Gianpaolo Monteneri was hired to plead Ineos’ case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Monteneri is highly regarded in the field of sports and football law and has a long successful career in resolving contract, transfer, employment and agency disputes.

Gianpaolo worked for FIFA in the past before establishing the Monteneri Sports Law as head of the Players Status Department, so he probably understands the laws better than anyone. If anyone can get through this deal, it will be him.

With Ineos set to challenge the regulations, United In Focus spoke to TBR’s football finance expert Adam Williams to add some context.

“Historically, there have been no impediments to the transfer of players between clubs within the same ownership structure, as long as the transactions are considered at fair value.

“I’ve seen Man City move players from one club to another. And at Savio, whose move from Girona to the league champions is to be announced this summer, they have a situation directly analogous to the Todibo case.

“However, that deal was agreed before UEFA began a crackdown on intra-property transfers, while United’s interest in Todibo came forward.

“This will frustrate United, but UEFA cannot be seen to be retroactively making exceptions to their rules, especially given that many clubs are exasperated by the leniency towards both Manchester clubs that allow them to compete with their sister teams in Europe next season. “

If United cannot sign Todibo, Ineos could soon lose interest in Nice

Adding to this, Adam explained that Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s desire for a multi-club model could mean he wants to leave Nice if UEFA does not allow him to use the link.

“In the longer term, if Ratcliffe is unsuccessful with his CAS appeal, I would expect him to dispose of his interest in Nice.

“He said he was committed to Nice and an admirer of the multi-club model, but the current crisis with the French TV deal is an existential threat to Ligue 1 clubs. And UEFA’s rules are a headache.

“Instead, they could look to establish a multi-club outpost outside of Europe, which would alleviate UEFA’s conflict of interest concerns.

“To get the same recruitment benefits under the post-Brexit points system as through a European club would mean it would have to be a major buy in a big league, which would be expensive in proportion to what they could pay in Europe.

“But the commercial benefits are also probably greater in, for example, the Brazilian market. That’s why we’ve seen the owners of Man City, Liverpool and Villa looking across the Atlantic for investment opportunities.”

It’s been a long summer and with it, there seems to be no end to the frustrations in the transfer market. We will have to wait and see what happens.

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