Newcastle United are among the Premier League clubs to have sent scouts to watch OGC Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo in action, Fabrizio Romano has claimed.

How big a prospect is Todibo?

The Frenchman is a bit of a rising star at Nice currently, proving to be one of their most important players and performing consistently well at centre-back. He made 35 appearances in all competitions this season, 34 of which have been starts, and he has averaged 2.3 tackles per game in Ligue 1.

Todibo was once at Barcelona, but struggled to make the grade there, and he has also enjoyed loan spells at the likes of Schalke, Benfica and Nice, prior to joining the latter on a permanent basis in 2021. At 23, he has increasingly matured in recent years and his reputation appears to be growing all the time.

While Newcastle have been superb defensively all season long, only conceding 29 times in 34 Premier League outings, they could still be looking for centre-back reinforcements in the summer transfer window. That's where Todibo comes into play, with the Magpies seemingly eyeing a move for him.

Are Newcastle interested in Todibo?

Taking to Twitter, Romano reported that Newcastle have sent representatives to watch the Nice defender in action, although they aren't alone in showing an interest in him:

"Understand Newcastle, Manchester Utd and Liverpool scouts were in attendance at Nice-Rennes game to monitor Jean Clair Todibo. French centre back could get top club move in the summer — with price tag understood to be around €45m."

Todibo certainly looks like a massive prospect – football talent scout Jacek Kulig has labelled him as the "complete package" and lauded his "superb build-up and defensive attributes" – and he could be a brilliant signing by Newcastle at the end of the season.

Sven Botman is clearly a huge player for the Magpies, but it could be argued that an upgrade on Fabian Schar as the Dutchman's regular centre-back partner could take them to another level. The Swiss is now 31 years of age, and if Eddie Howe's side are reach that next step in 2023/24 and beyond, he possibly needs to become a squad player moving forward.

In Todibo, Newcastle would be getting a top-quality young prospect with a high ceiling, and while he hasn't yet been capped for France, he has every chance of it on his current trajectory, having made one appearance for his country's Under-21 side, and five for the Under-20s.