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.
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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.”
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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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