Chelsea have Edouard Mendy transfer bid accepted by Rennes with star set for medical
Chelsea have Edouard Mendy bid accepted
Posted Saturday, September 12, 2020 by Express.co.uk
Chelsea have had their latest bid for Edouard Mendy accepted and the Rennes goalkeeper is ready to fly to London for a medical. The Blues have stepped up their approach for the 28-year-old this week after deciding that Mendy was the man they wanted to bring in to rival Kepa Arrizabalaga and Willy Caballero.
Frank Lampard decided before the end of last season that he wanted to bring in a new goalkeeper to shake things up.
The club were willing to listen to offers for Kepa but there was little interest besides loan enquries from his homeland.
It soon became clear Chelsea would not have the funds to sign a new No 1 unless they sold Kepa and they were ready to cash in on the £71million flop and take a £20million hit.
But now he looks set to stay and fight for his place, with Mendy keen to earn his place between the sticks and establish himself as Lampard's first-choice goalkeeper at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are set to complete the signing of Edouard Mendy from Rennes
Mendy had made it clear to Rennes president Nicolas Holveck that he wanted to move to Chelsea and test himself in the Premier League following their opening bid.
There was a meeting held today in the boardroom where it is believed Rennes deicded to accept Chelsea's latest offer.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the deal is now ready to be completed and Mendy is set for a medical in England.
The transfer expert tweeted: "The new bid from Chelsea for Edouard Mendy has been accepted by Rennes: here we go! Deal to be completed on next days, the goalkeeper is ready to fly to London and he’ll have medicals soon. Personal terms agreed days ago. Lampard will have his new GK."
Chelsea had opened the bidding at around £15m but that was soon swatted away by the Ligue 1 club, who will be playing Champions League football this season.
Earlier in the week Holveck had conceded that Mendy was eager to join the Blues but the clubs were slightly apart on their valuation of the player.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, the French chief said: "Yes there are discussions that have been initiated with Chelsea, no agreement for the moment – far from it.
"We know the value of the player and the man, I am unable to tell you what will happen.
"For a transfer to take place, the agreement between the three parties is necessary. I can understand Edouard’s desire, he told us about his desires, it’s part of the transfer window.
"He is not in the worst club in Europe either. He can also play in the Champions League if he stays here."
Kepa is said to have responded positively to Chelsea's negotiations for Mendy. He is not willing to give up on his Blues career just yet and wants to prove himself in west London.
His entourage insist he still has a good relationship with Lampard, despite being dropped on two seperate occasions last season.
It's believed that fierce competition from Mendy will allow Kepa to knuckle down while pushing him to his limits.
He still has plenty of work to do if he wants to be Spain's No 1 next summer at the European Championships.
There has also been no suggestion that Mendy will come in automatically be the first-choice goalkeeper at Chelsea.
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