Manchester City are reportedly set to complete the £39.8 million signing of French left-back Benjamin Mendy.
According to Daniel Cutts of The Sun, Premier League giants Manchester City are closing in on Monaco left-back Benjamin Mendy, and are understood to have agreed a £39.8 million deal with the French side for his services.
This will be manager Pep Guardiola’s third new recruit of the summer after previously signing right winger Bernado Silva from AS Monaco and goalkeeper Ederson Moraes from Portuguese side Benfica.
Signing his third player in the span of a couple of weeks suggests that Guardiola means business going into the 2017/18 season. After watching his side struggle this past campaign, the former Bayern Munich and Barcelona boss has decided to rope in specialists.
He also got rid of a number of players such as Willy Caballero, Jesus Navas, Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy and Pablo Zabaleta. Guardiola is now starting to replace every player, and has already done a decent job in roping in three talented marksmen.
Mendy is expected to move to the Etihad Stadium within the following week and will sign a four year deal with the club with an option to extend to a fifth. He will also pocket a gross amount of £100,ooo per week as wages.
The report in The Sun states that the player agreed to personal terms on Thursday night, meaning an announcement could made be any time within the next few days. City are expected to pay £39.8 million up front and can be due a few more add ons should they win the league or Champions League next season.
This will have come as a huge blow to Jose Mourinho and Mancester United who were looking to sign the left-back in the summer due to their lack of depth in that position. Luke Shaw, who was a first choice under Louis van Gaal has, meanwhile, fallen down the pecking order this past season.
Mourinho has not been impressed with the player’s attitude and work rate, and has gone on record to say that he has made a number of decisions for the Englishman while he was on the field of play.
Matteo Darmian has done a decent job deputising for Shaw, but has not made the position his own as yet. His lack of pace has often seen him being caught off guard, and the time is needed for a quality option in that department.
Mendy looked like a viable option, but he is now reportedly on his way to joining United’s local rivals. Mourinho, too, will have to act fast or he could be in danger of missing out on all his primary targets in the summer.
