Barcelona Rumors: Wantaway Loanee To Sign Permanent Deal With French Club

Barcelona could be close to closing the sale of a fringe loanee to a French club.

After not having been called up to play for Barcelona since 2019, Jean-Clair Todibo is now a step closer to becoming a permanent OGC Nice player.

Addressing Todibo’s situation, Nice chairman Jean-Pierre Rivère assured that the Barca loanee is included in the team’s “project” and a deal is already in the works.

“The [Jean-Clair] Todibo issue is well underway, he is part of the next coach’s project,” Rivère recently told French newspaper Nice-Matin.

Todibo’s current deal with Nice stated that the French side could make him a permanent player via a purchase option set at €8.5 million ($10 million), plus €7 million ($8.2 million) in variables.

Further backing Rivère ’s statement, Barca Centre reported that Nice “will execute their buy-option on Todibo next week.”

Todibo arrived at Barcelona in 2018 but has yet to make his mark in the Spanish side, having spent more time on the bench than on the pitch.

To his defense, Todibo insisted that Barca didn’t keep its word about making him a Gerard Pique understudy, describing the club as “bogus.”

“The presentation at Barcelona, it’s madness, but I only played five games, it’s bogus in real life,” Todibo earlier told Spanish publication L’Equipe. “I won a La Liga (in 2019), but I didn’t help the team, I played when we had won the title!”

“[Eric] Abidal saw me as [Gerard] Piqué’s replacement,” he added. “I played two games, then Valverde told me that I was the fourth defender but that I was going to have to prove in the preseason. Umtiti got hurt. I did the right thing, but I am not given my chance.”

The Frenchman even stressed that he would rather leave Camp Nou than represent a club that is not giving him the playing time he deserves.

“I’m not asking to play the Clásico, but make me play matches,” the 21-year-old said. “It sucks to go to Barcelona and not play. I would rather wear the CS Sedan Ardennes shirt and play than go to Barcelona and not play. Already you suffer less criticism at Sedan.”

After a tough spell at Benfica, Todibo found a lease on life with Nice where went on to make 17 appearances across all competitions.

Prior to that, Todibo was first loaned out by Barcelona to Bundesliga side Schalke 04 where he played eight matches.