Bengaluru, Dec. 18: Serie A club AC Milan are reportedly close to concluding a deal for Barcelona youngster Jean-Clair Todibo ahead of the January transfer window.

The young Frenchman has found game time hard to come by since moving to the Camp Nou from Toulouse a year ago. Despite an impressive display on his debut against Huesca in April, Todibo has assembled just 77 La Liga minutes this season. But a Man of the Match display against Inter Milan in the Champions League last week surely has essayed a glimpse of what he could bring in the near future to the biggest stage and it surely has caught the attraction of the Serie A side.

Milan need defensive reinforcements after injury and poor form has hindered them so far this season, so the Barca man can be a great signing if he helps to solidify the backline.

Milan are also monitoring the situation with Merih Demiral at Juventus as a possible alternative, but it seems that he may be a more expensive option. Todibo can be available for €25m and Eric Abidal and Ramon Planes, on Barcelona's part reportedly recently met with Paolo Maldini, currently technical director to speak about the transfer.

Nothing is agreed at this point but surely there has been concrete interest.

A wise decision by Barcelona?

Missing out on the 19-year-old without providing him with any ample opportunity can surely be a wise decision by the Catalan board. However, he needs more gametime to develop at this raw stage. Milan may look to secure the player with such promises and can deliver him the top-tier experience the player requires right now. The two clubs are now in talks to understand the feasibility of the operation, with the LaLiga side keen to add a buy-back clause in the deal. This is the only sensible part from the La Liga side who can then have a say on the player at least if he makes it big there. However, Milan may not agree with such terms as it surely hampers their chance of selling them for a big profit if he starts to do well.

However, needless to say, both the player and Milan may benefit from this transfer. Whatever the deal eventually turns out, it certainly will be an opportunity to plug a big hole in their backline as well as providing the much-needed opportunities to player's growth.