Manchester United unlikely to sign Jean-Clair Todibo due to UEFA multi-club rules

Manchester United are unlikely to sign Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo this summer due to UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules.

United and Nice, the Ligue 1 club owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS, have qualified for the Europa League and are waiting to find out if they will both be allowed to play in the competition next season.

UEFA regulations do not allow any organization or individual to have “decisive influence” over the operations of more than one club in the same competition. Ratcliffe also owns a 27.7% stake in United.

Both clubs had until June 3 to provide evidence to UEFA to show they met the rules and are now awaiting the verdict of an independent panel on the matter.

Todibo has been mooted as a potential transfer target by United, who have prioritized signing a centre-back this summer following the departure of Raphael Varane.

But the 24-year-old now looks highly unlikely to move to Old Trafford, given UEFA’s multi-club ownership guidelines issued last month warned clubs undergoing multi-club ownership tests against some such transactions.

Todibo has been mooted as a potential target (Franco Arland/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)

In guidance to clubs on May 14, the president of the first chamber of UEFA’s club financial control body, Sunil Gulati, outlined four factors that would meet UEFA’s definition of “decisive influence”, one of which was player transfers.

Gulati added that clubs that are currently subject to multi-club ownership tests will not be able to transfer new players to each other during the season they are in the same competition or during the first transfer window immediately afterwards.

Should Ratcliffe and INEOS have “decisive influence” on both clubs, United’s eighth-placed finish in the Premier League would mean they would drop down to the Conference League, as Nice finished fifth in Ligue 1.

Ratcliffe and INEOS have always been confident they could meet UEFA’s rules on multi-club ownership, believing precedents set in cases involving AC Milan, Aston Villa and Brighton and Hove Albion last year show compromises are possible.

Manchester City and Girona – both part of the City Football Group (CFG) – were also put under UEFA’s multi-club ownership test after both qualified for the Champions League and await a verdict.

City hope to complete the signing of Savio, a 20-year-old winger who spent the season on loan at Girona from Troyes — another CFG-owned club.

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(Sylvain Thomas/AFP via Getty Images)