West Ham United have announced the signing of defender Jean-Clair Todibo from Nice.
The 24-year-old joins the Hammers on an initial season-long loan deal, with an option to make the transfer permanent for a reported £35m in the summer of 2025.
Todibo has been the subject of intense speculation throughout this summer, with both Manchester United and Juventus initially holding an interest in the highly-rated Frenchman.
It had previously been reported that Todibo rebuffed interest from West Ham in order to push through a move to Juventus, but the Italian giants struggled to reach an agreement with Nice after weeks of negotiations.
West Ham eventually swooped in to the hijack the deal and technical director Tim Steidten was ultimately the key in persuading Todibo to make the statement switch to the London Stadium, with the defender completing his medical on Friday before the club's official announcement of his arrival on Saturday.
Todibo, who will wear the No.25 shirt at West Ham, becomes Julen Lopetegui's seventh signing of the summer transfer window after Luis Guilherme, Max Kilman, Wes Foderingham, Crysensio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug and Guido Rodriguez.
The south of France to east London ✈️
— West Ham United (@WestHam) August 10, 2024
Jean-Clair Todibo is a Hammer ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/EgbZvNoqfU
Todibo reacts to "dream" move to Premier League
"I am really excited to be signing for West Ham United," Todibo told the club's official website. "It is a dream come true to play in the Premier League, the best league in the world.
"This is an amazing opportunity for me, at a club with huge ambition, who want to really make progress under the new head coach.
"It feels like the right time to be coming to West Ham, in the heart of London, with an amazing, passionate fan-base. I'm so excited to pull on the West Ham shirt, and play at the London Stadium in the Premier League."
West Ham chief Steidten added: "This is another significant signing for the football club and shows the attraction of West Ham for top players in Europe.
"It's no secret that Jean-Clair is a player we've been tracking for some time, so we're delighted to have got this signing over the line ahead of the start of the new season.
© Imago
Steidten: 'West Ham fans can get excited about Todibo signing'
"He's got proven pedigree in European football, especially in France, where he has shone in recent years, showing all of his qualities as one of the finest ball-playing centre-halves in Ligue 1.
"There was huge interest from across Europe for his signature this summer, and we're once again indebted to the board for backing us to bring in a player who is approaching the peak years of his career.
"I'm sure the West Ham fans are excited about Jean-Clair's arrival, and we can't wait to see him playing in a West Ham shirt."
Todibo leaves Nice after making 136 appearances for the French club across all competitions over a three-and-a-half-year period, starting 30 Ligue 1 games and helping Les Aiglons keep 15 clean sheets last season.
The 6ft 3in centre-back joins West Ham at a time when captain Kurt Zouma is reportedly on the verge of signing for UAE outfit Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai on a free transfer.
Todibo will compete with fellow new recruit Kilman as well as Konstantinos Mavropanos and Nayef Aguerd for regular starts in defence and could make his West Ham debut when they welcome Aston Villa to the London Stadium for their opening Premier League fixture of the 2024-25 season on August 17.
