Chelsea are hoping to sign Rennes goalkeeper Edouard Mendy by tabling an improved £18 million bid this summer.
According to Daily Mail, Chelsea’s search for a Kepa Arrizabalaga replacement continues and it has led them to Edouard Mendy. The Rennes goalkeeper has been identified as a cost-effective option in Frank Lampard’s bid to find a new man in between the sticks.
Chelsea had initially tabled a £15 million bid for Mendy, which was reportedly rejected by Rennes, who have no wish to sell their prized asset this summer. However, the Blues have now come back an improved £18 million offer in an attempt to lure the goalkeeper to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s pursuit of Mendy, especially after being linked with moves for Jan Oblak and Dean Henderson makes sense as they now have to be content with a cheaper option following a spending spree that saw them sign players like Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner and Malang Sarr.
Thiago Silva has been the latest player to join the camp at Stamford Bridge, with the defender hoping to add some much-needed experience in the backline.
However, one of Chelsea’s main problems in defence last term was the lack of competence from Kepa. The Spaniard attained the lowest save percentage rate in the Premier League and made countless defensive errors. As a result, Lampard is now hell-bent on getting rid of the Spaniard.
There is no doubt that Blues will find it difficult to sell Kepa for anywhere near the £72 million they had spent to sign the goalkeeper back in 2018. But, it seems a loan option could be on the cards, with Sevilla emerging as a potential suitor.
As for Mendy, he is clearly not the most well-established options Lampard has. However, he has been one of the rising stars in Ligue 1, keeping nine clean sheets in 24 matches for Rennes last season. He also attained the third-highest save percentage in the league, just behind Geronimo Rulli and Predrag Rajkovic.
The Senegalese international, therefore, is, in fact, one of the best performing goalkeepers in the French top flight. And although he may not be as proactive when it comes to defensive actions outside the box or have the ball retentions qualities like Ederson, Mendy certainly is capable of becoming a reliable figure in between the sticks for Chelsea.
Hence, it will be interesting to see whether or not the improved £18 million will be enough to convince Rennes to offload their star player as Chelsea continue their spending spree this summer.
