Monaco Reject Manchester City’s Bid For Benjamin Mendy
REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
AS Monaco have turned down a £44.5 million bid from Manchester City for their prized full-back Benjamin Mendy, reports the Daily Mail.
The Ligue 1 Champions don’t see the money offered by City to be enough, and are reportedly demanding the same amount that Pep Guardiola’s side paid to acquire the services of Kyle Walker from Tottenham – a deal that could possibly rise to £54m after add-ons.
Monaco’s administration believes that Mendy is a better player than the English international, and at 23, is 4 years younger than him as well. They believe that there should be no reason that they don’t get the same amount Spurs did after the sale of Walker.
Sources have claimed that Chelsea are also interested in acquiring the services of the French international. In fact, the Blues have reportedly asked Monaco to keep them informed about the developments in the transfer status of the 23-year-old.
Antonio Conte is also on the lookout for a quality full-back, having previously attempted to sign Alex Sandro from Juventus.
Reuters / Andrew Couldridge
Man City, on the other hand, have already done some great business with the French outfit, having already signed Bernardo Silva for a hefty fee of £50m.
However, Monaco’s resistance to not let their reliable full-back leave for cheap means that City will have to splash the extra cash if they wish to acquire the services of the defender.
Mendy has spent a single season with Monaco, and belongs to a young crop of players, along with Kylian Mbappe and Thomas Lemar, who are coveted by Europe’s elites. He enjoyed an exceptional campaign last season, where he won the French League, and was also instrumental in his side reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League.
One thing that remains clear here is that the French international is and would be a valuable asset for any club, and should Pep Guardiola sign him, the Citizens would have a serious chance of winning the Premier League next season, after having signed some seriously talented players.
Written by Soumyarendra Barik 
Feels that every year is going to be Bayern Munich’s. Started off as a broadcast journalist with NDTV, but his love for writing brings him to the online world. A staunch believer!