Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has reportedly rejected a new six-year contract with London club Chelsea.
Mendy joined Chelsea in 2020 from French side Rennes for £22m and he has since gone on to make 104 appearances for the club.
He was instrumental as Chelsea won their second Champions League title in 2020-2021 – winnining FIFA’s best goalkeeper award in 2021 – before a combination of injury and a lack of form led to him losing his place as first choice stopper this season.
And, according to The Sun, Mendy – who’s current deal expires in 2025 – has rejected a new six-year contract at the club due to a dispute over wages.
The report states Mendy currently earns around £100,000 a week, around half of what his goalkeeping rival Kepa Arrizabalaga earns.
The 30-year-old is said to want a similar wage to Arrizabalaga, who is the world’s most expensive goalkeeper after joining from Athletic Bilbao in 2018 for £72m.
The Blues have now reportedly withdrawn their initial offer to Mendy in an attempt to stand firm during the negotiations and there is a contract stand-off between the two parties.
AC Milan, Nice and Monaco are three clubs reportedly keeping an eye on his situation and would be interested in making a move for the keeper if an opportunity arises.
Mendy was part of the Senegal side that lost to England in the last-16 at the World Cup, having previously won the African Cup of Nations with his nation earlier this year.
He has also won the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup during his spell with Chelsea and started this season as first-choice keeper.
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However, as the team’s form deteriorated under Thomas Tuchel, Mendy made several high-profile errors and lost his place in the team to Arrizabalaga.
When the Spaniard injured himself during Chelsea’s 4-1 defeat by Brighton, Mendy replaced him at half-time and played their last two Premier League games before the World Cup break.
He has made 11 appearances in total this season and will now battle it out with Arrizabalaga to be the club’s first-choice goalkeeper during the second half of the season.
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