Tottenham one step from centre-back snare after Postecoglou guarantee as Man Utd give up chase

Tottenham have reportedly guaranteed Jean-Clair Todibo a prominent first-team role, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe won’t stand in his way despite Manchester United interest.

Spurs’ season started on the right foot, with Ange Postecoglou quickly getting fans back on side. That was necessary after the side finished eighth in the Premier League last season, before he took the post.

He made some top signings, such as Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven and James Maddison.

Those stars helped the north London outfit to the summit of the league after 10 games.

But injuries to the latter pair in the same game did not help matters, and that they added to a long list of sidelined players, with a couple of useful assets also having been suspended this season, meant the wheels fell off.

Tottenham then went on a five-game winless streak, before clawing things back with two wins on the bounce.

But the centre-back position still leaves a lot to be desired, and with Van de Ven potentially still out for a while, Postecoglou is looking for reinforcements.

At the moment, Todibo and Tosin Adarabioyo look like the most likely snares.

Ratcliffe clears path for Tottenham

TEAMtalk recently revealed that Spurs will walk away and look at other targets if they don’t get encouragement that a deal for the former is possible soon.

And with Tosin angling for the exit door at Fulham, he could be the man they go for.

However, Tottenham might have got the encouragement they need regarding Todibo, and could get some more soon, too.

According to the Evening Standard, Nice are prepared to do a deal for the right price – above £35million – rather than waiting for Manchester United, who are also linked with the defender.

Their soon-to-be minority owner, Ratcliffe, is also the owner of Nice. That said, it would be expected that he’d stop any deal with Spurs, in order to ensure Todibo moves to Old Trafford.

However, it seems Ratcliffe has given up on making that happen, as it’s said he ‘would not stand in the way’ of the move despite United interest.

Spurs make Todibo promise

Todibo could be enticed by Spurs’ plans for him, which would give them another boost in the pursuit.

Indeed, it’s reported that in discussions Tottenham have ‘guaranteed’ the defender a ‘prominent first-team role’.

That’s likely to see him either play alongside Cristian Romero and Van de Ven – when the latter is fit – or battle with the pair for a starting spot, which means while he may not play every game, he’ll surely be given ample minutes.

It remains to be seen if Todibo is ready to jump at the chance to move to Tottenham, but if he gives the green light, all systems will officially be go.

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