Chelsea star Edouard Mendy almost gave up football six years ago
According to French outlet Telefoot (h/t The Daily Mail), Rennes have made a last-minute demand in the deal for Chelsea-bound keeper Edouard Mendy.
The Ligue 1 side are now demanding that Blues youngster Fikayo Tomori be included as a part of the Mendy deal. Rennes were linked with a loan move for the defender earlier this summer.
The 22-year-old enjoyed a promising start to the season under Frank Lampard. He has, however, fallen down the pecking order since Christmas and has made only three appearances since the turn of the year. (h/t Transfermarkt)
Mendy looked set to become Chelsea’s seventh signing of what has been an excellent window. Rennes for their part are looking to take advantage of the situation and ensure they can milk us to the maximum.
Tomori’s place in the Chelsea pecking order will have fallen following the arrival of Thiago Silva. While he may have more chances of playing regularly in France, he has shown enough promise to suggest he could develop into an excellent defender.
Premier League side Everton are also keen on taking Tomori in loan for the season. (h/t Sky Sports)
Due to this new complication in negotiations, Mendy has returned to the Rennes training. He is keen to keep up his fitness ahead of the imminent switch.
The deal for Mendy will set us back by around £25million. Once completed it will be the most ever paid for a goalkeeper moving from France to England.
The previous record also involved a transfer from Rennes to Chelsea. Petr Cech was the man who made the £12.3m switch to London. Coincidentally, he is now Chelsea’s technical director and has been instrumental in our pursuit of Mendy.
This is not the first time that Rennes have looked to include a Chelsea player in the negotiations. They were keen on taking striker Olivier Giroud to France in the initial stages. Their demand was however denied by Chelsea.
It remains unclear if the Ligue 1 side are keen to loan Tomori or take him outright. If it is the former, it could work out in Chelsea’s favour.
Not only would we be getting a solid goalkeeper in Mendy but the development of a promising young talent will also continue unabated.
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