Chelsea Agree Deal With Rennes for Goalkeeper Édouard Mendy
By Tom Gott
Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Rennes goalkeeper Édouard Mendy, who is expected to arrive in London to put pen to paper on a contract in the near future.
Technical and performance advisor Petr Čech was instrumental in highlighting Mendy as the ideal man to compete with current number one Kepa Arrizabalaga for minutes next season, with manager Frank Lampard still unconvinced by the expensive Spaniard.
Gianluca Di Marzio broke the news that Chelsea had reached an agreement with Rennes, although there has been some dispute over just how much the Blues have agreed to pay.
According to The Athletic's Simon Johnson, who cites journalists close to the situation, Chelsea have agreed to pay £20.4m to lure the 28-year-old over to Stamford Bridge, but Ouest-France state that the final fee could actually sit closer to the £26m mark.
Despite the uncertainty, one thing which seems clear is that Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia has managed to negotiate the Blues a discount from Rennes' initial asking price of just over £30m.
Fabrizio Romano expects Mendy to arrive in London in the coming hours, with only a medical standing in the way of an official announcement.
It's not yet clear which goalkeeper Lampard will put his faith in this season. Arrizabalaga will obviously start Monday's Premier League opener against Brighton while Mendy undergoes a mandatory quarantine period, but he could be promoted to the starting lineup soon after.
Arrizabalaga has made it clear that he intends to stay and fight for his position at the club, with Lampard understood to be impressed by the Spaniard's determination to bounce back from an abysmal campaign.
As for Chelsea's transfer business, next up is an ambitious move for West Ham United's Declan Rice, who is valued at £80m by the Hammers. Will Roman Abramovich finally be stopped?