Leicester have agreed personal terms with Nice defensive midfielder Nampalys Mendy as they begin to plan for life without N’Golo Kante, according to Get French Football.
Claudio Ranieri’s side are currently in advanced talks with Nice as they look to settle on a fee for the former France Under-21 international. Leicester’s current bid is £12m but Nice are holding out for their £15m valuation.
The Premier League champions were unsuccessful in their attempts to sign Mendy last season before eventually turning their attentions to Kante, who proved to be one of the signings of the season last term as Leicester won the league.
However, Kante is attracting interest from the likes of PSG and Chelsea and looks set to leave the King Power Stadium in the summer with a £20m release clause.
Mendy, who has 12 months remaining on his existing deal with Nice, has also attracted interest from West Ham, Wolfsburg and Sunderland but has been won over by the Foxes.
While Mendy isn’t as effective at stealing the ball from the opposition as Kante, his passing is far superior to the current Leicester star, which will be a crucial trait in the Champions League next season.
In fact, apart from a host of Paris Saint-Germain players, no one had a higher pass success rate in Ligue 1 last season than Mendy (92.1%). Furthermore, only three players averaged more passes per game (Mendy – 77.6).
For more stats on Nampalys Mendy, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
