Official: Barcelona beat Liverpool & Juventus to Jean-Clair Todibo signing

Posted Wednesday, January 09, 2019 by 101 GREAT GOALS

La Liga giants Barcelona have this afternoon confirmed the signing of Toulouse starlet Jean-Clair Todibo.

Toulouse prodigy

Todibo, a gifted 19-year-old central-defender who can also play in midfield, is regarded as one of the finest young stoppers in European football.

The French U20-international came up through the youth ranks of FC Les Lilas, before making the move to Ligue 1 outfit Toulouse in 2016.

And Todibo since went on to break into Les Pitchouns' senior setup for the first time at the beginning of the current campaign.

Todibo in-demand

However, despite having only appeared in 10 first-team fixtures to this point in his career, the powerful defender has already caught the eye of a number of European football's biggest clubs.

All of Barcelona, Juventus, Napoli and Liverpool had been named as suitors of Todibo over recent months.

And, with the youngster's Toulouse contract set to expire in the summer, the race to secure a pre-contract agreement with Todibo had stepped up a notch since the turn of the year.

Barcelona bound

But, as per an official announcement this afternoon, the giants of the Premier League and Serie A have officially missed out, with Barcelona having confirmed a short time ago that they have clinched a pre-contract agreement to sign Todibo in the summer:

Agreement with Jean-Clair Todibo (@jctodibo) for him to join the Club next season. 🔵🔴https://t.co/L1Ejgvhg1f
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 8, 2019

📋 The complete lowdown on @jctodibo 🇫🇷
🔙 His background, his role models and much more...
👉 https://t.co/aSdp2VQVsf
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 8, 2019

The teen himself, meanwhile, has taken to Instagram to post a message of thanks to both Barca for believing in his abilities, and Toulouse for aiding his development:

Official: Barcelona beat Liverpool & Juventus to Jean-Clair Todibo signing