Blues switch transfer target after ending interest in Lille's Mike Maignan
Thursday 3 September 2020 17:18, UK
Chelsea are in talks with Rennes over goalkeeper Edouard Mendy after ending their interest in Lille's Mike Maignan.
Maignan was high on Chelsea's list of goalkeepers, with manager Frank Lampard looking to increase competition for Kepa Arrizabalaga.
However, Lille wanted £32m for the 25-year-old, which was some way higher than the expected £22m valuation of the player.
Maignan is not happy that a deal was not agreed before joining up with the France squad for this weekend's game against Sweden in the Nations League.
Petr Cech, Chelsea's technical director, has strong links with Rennes and will have been involved in identifying Mendy as a target.
Chelsea are now expected to put all their efforts into securing a deal, which would see Mendy move to London for a fee of around £18m.
The summer transfer window will run for 10 weeks from July 27 and close at 11pm on October 5.
A domestic-only window for trades between the Premier League and EFL then runs from October 5 and closes on Friday, October 16 at 5pm.
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