West Ham £36m summer transfer confirmed thanks to Newcastle United

West Ham will be obligated to buy Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo for a reported £36.3 million this summer after Newcastle United defeated struggling Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Saturday, relegating the Tractor Boys.

Kieran McKenna’s side will join Southampton and Leicester City in falling back down to the Championship next term with all three of the promoted sides failing to stay in the top flight. That has confirmed West Ham’s survival in the Premier League - the Hammers sit 17th on 36 points, with Ipswich Town in 18th and 15 points behind.

West Ham signed Todibo on loan from the French outfit last year but there was always an obligation to buy clause in that deal. The BBC has now reported that the clause depended on West Ham avoiding relegation and, with that confirmed after the Magpies beat Ipswich Town 3-0 at St James’ Park, the wheels are in motion to sign Todibo permanently.

West Ham obligated to make £36 million transfer

The outlet adds that ‘a few minor details are still to be finalised’ between the two clubs but that sources had confirmed that the process of the transfer is now underway. Todibo has played 25 times for the Hammers in all competitions so far this season, starting the last four Premier League matches under Graham Potter.

The defender had previously been linked with a move to Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur, before West Ham beat their top flight rivals to the signing last summer. The Nice man has also spent time at Toulouse and Barcelona. He has one Champions League appearance to his name and was part of the Barcelona squad that won La Liga in 2019.

There had been speculation that West Ham could look to sell Todibo straight away after being forced to sign him permanently as part of a big summer clearout under Potter. The West Ham manager recently defended the player amid questions over his fitness and ability to finish games.

He said: “I think it was a bit tough for him at the start, because he arrived late to pre-season and then had injury problems. There was quite a lot of change last summer, but overall it’s not been that easy for those players who have come in. But, I’ve really enjoyed working with JC. He’ll get better as he gets fitter and fitter, because he’s got some really high-level quality.”

Todibo positive about life under Graham Potter

Speaking to the club website ahead of the defeat to Brighton, Todibo said: “Football is a sport of small details and it’s also a sport of mistakes. We did a lot of small mistakes and we conceded late goals against Southampton and Liverpool and in some games we have been way better, so there have been a lot of positives in the games that we had since the new manager came.

“The results are not there but, in the games, what we are doing and all this stuff, there’s been a lot of good things. I think if we stay with this manager and the staff with the same goal, there’s for sure a couple of details to modify, we should do a really big season next year.

“We’ve felt a lot of frustration, for sure, and we have to work more, but we are in a good way, I think. The key is to remain together because I think what we were doing at the beginning of the season [compared to] now, it’s way different.”

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