Real Madrid have reportedly made an offer of around €35 million for French full-back Ferland Mendy, which has been knocked back by Lyon.
According to the report from French publication L’Equipe, Real Madrid have submitted a transfer bid for Olympique Lyon left-back Ferland Mendy, which has been rejected by the Ligue 1 club.
The 2018-19 campaign was quite a disappointing one for Real Madrid, as they finished third in the La Liga, behind rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. Their cup run also came to an end at the semi-final stages, while Ajax sent them packing quite early in the UEFA Champions League.
Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane is eyeing a major squad overhaul this summer and the left-back position is one that the Frenchman should consider strengthening. Seasoned campaigner Marcelo endured a disappointing campaign, while academy man Sergio Reguilon doesn’t seem to be in the manager’s plans as he was rarely used by Zidane towards the back end of the season.
Real Betis’ Junior Firpo had been linked with a switch to the Santiago Bernabeu previously, but Real Madrid have now turned their focus towards Lyon’s 23-year-old Ferland Mendy. The Frenchman came through the youth ranks at Le Havre and made the switch to Lyon back in 2017 where he has since become the undisputed choice at left-back.
Mendy featured 44 times across all competitions in the 2018-19 campaign, contributing with three goals and assists apiece, delivering consistently solid performances. Impressed by his displays, France manager Didier Deschamps handed him his senior international debut in November last year in a friendly against Uruguay.
Mendy’s rise in stature over the past couple of seasons hasn’t gone unnoticed, with Barcelona reportedly taking an interest in the Frenchman. And now, Real Madrid have also joined his list of admirers with manager Zidane believed to be a huge admirer of his compatriot’s talents.
The report claims that Zidane has already held talks with Mendy in order to convince him to make the switch to Madrid, and the player too is interested in completing the transfer. To that end, Los Blancos had submitted a bid in the region of €30-€35 million, but Lyon have rejected that offer.
The French giants are reluctant to lose their prized asset this summer, but will consider a sale should an offer of €55 million come along. The valuation shouldn’t be much of a problem for Real Madrid and they are expected come back with a second offer for Mendy in the coming weeks.
