Chelsea’s pursuit for a new goalkeeper has been going on all summer, but it finally looked like they had got their man in the shape of Rennes keeper Edouard Mendy.
Fabrizio Romano can be erratic with his rumours but they tend to be spot on, so it even looked like Chelsea had completed the signing of Mendy last night:
https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1305627326617718785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1305627326617718785%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.caughtoffside.com%2F2020%2F09%2F15%2Fa-late-twist-in-chelseas-pursuit-of-edouard-mendy-as-rennes-demand-defender-in-a-swap-deal%2F
Those claims were only enhanced by further reports today, which suggested Chelsea had talked Rennes down from €40m and Oliver Giroud to a deal worth €28m.
Just when it looked like everything had been agreed, there’s been a late twist with the news that Rennes are trying to include Fikayo Tomori in the deal – presumably on a season long loan:
Still no final agreement between Chelsea & Rennes for Édouard Mendy – the Brittany side are now trying to include Fikayo Tomori in the deal, according to @telefoot_chaine.
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) September 15, 2020
It would be understandable if Chelsea got irked by this and even attempted to move on, but if this was a loan deal for Tomori then it could even benefit them in the long run.
The signing of Thiago Silva means Tomori is unlikely to be a first choice player this season and he could really develop during a loan spell in France, while Rennes will also be playing in Europe this season.
At this point it’s impossible to tell if this deal is finalised or what’s going on, but it sounds like Chelsea shouldn’t be completely confident.
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