Chelsea land Kepa replacement in £25m deal

 

Chelsea have confirmed the arrival of Rennes goalkeeper Edouard Mendy in a deal worth in the region of £25m.

 

Frank Lampard's side finally made a breakthrough in talks for the 28-year-old after weeks of talks with Rennes, with Mendy inking a long-term deal with Chelsea.

 

Having spent more than £200m on new outfielders this summer, Lampard really wanted to sign a new goalkeeper to replace club-record signing Kepa.

 

The Spaniard has endured a miserable two years at Chelsea since completing a shock £72m move from Athletic Club and even lost his place in the side under Lampard last season.

 

Kepa has reportedly decided he wants to stay and fight for his first-team spot at Stamford Bridge but Mendy's arrival now pushes him closer to the exit door.

 

Chelsea will want to offload as much deadwood as possible to offset their stunning summer spending spree and Kepa is likely to be one of the first to leave if possible.

 

 

The Premier League giants will struggle to recoup anywhere near their initial outlay on Kepa and may have to farm him out on loan to begin with.

 

Mendy arrives at Chelsea after just 12 months with Rennes but helped the French side secure Champions League football for this season.

 

The French-born Senegal international ranks second for most clean sheets in Ligue 1 since August 2018 (23).