London giants Chelsea are reportedly ready to part ways with 30-year-old contract rebel goalkeeper Edouard Mendy next summer, as they begin their search for a new number one.
According to journalist Simon Phillips (via Give Me Sport), Chelsea are willing to listen to offers for Senegalese shot-stopper Edouard Mendy, and the 30-year-old is expected to leave Stamford Bridge if a “big-money bid” is tabled during the next summer transfer window.
Since his arrival from Rennes in a deal worth £22 million in 2020, the Senegalese shot-stopper has been a massive success at Stamford Bridge and arguably one of the club’s best pieces of business in recent years, which is very rare.
As well as making over 100 appearances during that time, Mendy played an instrumental role in the club winning the Champions League in Thomas Tuchel’s first season. He was a big part of the Super Cup and Club World Cup victories too.
While his distribution was always a bit of a question mark, his imperious shot-stopping ability and command in the box proved critical in rescuing points and forming an impenetrable defence. He helped Senegal win the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in their history, which earned him enormous plaudits and elevated his standing to that of one of the best goalkeepers in the world for a good while.
However, his performances started to dip towards the end of Tuchel’s tenure. This season, he didn’t get off to the best of starts, with a catalogue of errors costing the Blues vital goals in their early season struggles.
And an injury meant Kepa Arrizabalaga got his chance. The Spaniard took it with both hands, with new boss Graham Potter making Mendy battle for his spot back, which led to reports that the Senegal international is considering his future at the club despite boasting a contract until the summer of 2025 at Stamford Bridge.
The 30-year-old, who is one of the club’s lowest-paid players and currently earns around £52,000 per week, refused to sign a contract extension earlier this year. Potter appears to have given the green light for his departure, with all intentions to extend his current contract shelved.
Chelsea are open to receiving bids for the Senegal international, and the club hopes that a successful World Cup campaign with Senegal will pique the interest of potential bidders as they look to recoup some of their investment.
A fundamental part of Potter’s system is being able to play out from the back, which is arguably Kepa’s biggest strength and Mendy’s weakness. Aside from that, mistakes have already started to creep into his overall game, and it could be time to move on.
The Blues are poised to search for a fresh goalkeeper acquisition to bolster their goalkeeping department, with plenty of options in the Premier League alone, going by their recent links to Jordan Pickford and Robert Sanchez. There’s also the option of sticking with Kepa, who hasn’t let Potter down so far.
