Chelsea are reportedly close to signing their seventh summer signing after talks with Rennes over goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
According to a report from the Guardian, the Blues have held talks with the Ligue 1 side over a potential £18.2million deal for the 28-year-old.
Despite Frank Lampard has lost faith in Kepa Arrizabalaga, Chelsea have struggled to find potential buyers for the Spain international, the report added, and as a result, they have lowered their sight to more affordable options.
Mendy is reportedly one of those options and despite reports claiming they had their first £14.2m offer turned down, Chelsea have continued negotiations with Rennes.
The two parties are yet to finalise the deal, but the Guardian claims the deal could see Chelsea pay up to €26m (£23.3m) including add-ons for the Senegal international.
Having reportedly spent over £200m on six new recruitments this summer, including Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, and Ben Chilwell, such a fee to bolster the goalkeeping department which has arguably been the weakest link last season does not sound that bad.
Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol also said Chelsea technical and performance advisor Petr Cech is also a fan of Mendy.
“He [Cech] expects Mendy to become a Chelsea player, maybe this week, for a fee which is likely to be around £20m mark,” he added.
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