Edouard Mendy’s Chelsea future ‘uncertain after holding showdown talks with club’
CHELSEA keeper Edouard Mendy’s future at Stamford Bridge remains up in the air as he prepares for crunch talks with the club, according to reports.
The Blues shot-stopper, 31, has returned to full training this week after a lengthy time on the sidelines following surgery on his finger in January.
He has been unavailable since returning from the World Cup – where he helped Senegal reach the last-16.
And Kepa Arrizabalaga is set to continue in between the sticks, with the Spaniard having already racked up 25 appearances this season.
Mendy has started just eight Premier League games in the 2022/23 campaign – only two of which have come since Graham Potter took over from Thomas Tuchel.
And according to The Times, Chelsea are struggling to tie him down to a new deal.
Mendy, who has kept 49 clean sheets in 104 games for the Blues, is under contract until 2025.
However, new owner Todd Boehly is keen to avoid any player’s deal running under the two-year mark.
It comes after they lost Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen for free last summer.
But talks between Mendy and the club have failed to see them come anywhere near reaching a deal.
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And Chelsea are understood to be prioritising other players’ contracts ahead of the Senegalese keeper – who won the Champions League with the club in 2021.
They include Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante – who is set to return to Potter’s squad for the home game against Everton on Saturday.
Chelsea will assess their goalkeeping situation in the summer, with Brentford’s David Raya, Brighton’s Robert Sanchez and Leeds’ Ilan Meslier all potential replacements if Mendy departs.
Spaniard Raya, 27, has emerged as a highly-rated Premier League keeper with Manchester United and Tottenham monitoring him.
Brentford are thought to be looking for a fee in the region of £40million.