AC Milan hold meeting with Barcelona as they consider swoop for €10m-rated starlet

AC Milan officials reportedly met with their Barcelona counterparts on Friday as they line up a potential bid for defender Jean-Clair Todibo.

The 19-year-old joined the Catalan giants in January earlier this year, but since arriving at the Nou Camp he has struggled to secure regular playing time.

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After making just two appearances in La Liga in the second half of the last campaign, he has been limited to just two more additional outings so far this season.

With Samuel Umtiti recovering from injury to take his place above the youngster in the pecking order to challenge Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet for a starting berth under coach Ernesto Valverde, it’s questionable as to whether Todibo’s situation will change any time soon.

In turn, perhaps an exit could be the ideal solution for all parties, and now Calciomercato, via the paper edition of Sport, suggest that Milan technical director Paolo Maldini met with Barcelona officials in Milan last Friday to discuss Todibo.

It’s added that the Frenchman is valued at around €10m, and that Barca want to include a buy-back clause in the deal in the event he goes on to establish himself as a top player and fulfils his potential.

Time will tell if that’s a deal that Milan are willing to do, as while Mattia Caldara is closing in on a return after an injury nightmare since joining the club, summer signing Leo Duarte suffered a serious setback at the end of last month.

With that in mind, perhaps coach Stefano Pioli needs more in that department, although given that they’ve struggled at the other end of the pitch for the most part so far this season having scored just 16 goals in 15 league games, the defence is arguably not the main priority.