Real Madrid made a big splash in the summer transfer window signing up and coming striker Luka Jovic on Tuesday and reports are indicating that fullback Ferland Mendy could be the next name to join the ranks.
Manager Zinedine Zidane has not been shy about his intentions to bring in a new left back to either take over full-time for Marcelo or soon be his successor. Mendy had a fantastic season with Lyon playing in 44 matches across four competitions, raking up more than 4,000 minutes of playing time.
Reports from both France and Spain are saying that the 23-year-old is ready to make the switch to Real Madrid pending a medical with the club. Currently on international duty with France, Mendy is expected by many to be announced as Los Blancos’ next young signing in the coming week.
Although everything has pointed to the talented left-back making the switch, Lyon has publicly announced that they have not been in negotiations with the Spanish giants and will not be selling Ferland Mendy during the summer.
"“Olympique de Lyon denies an agreement with Real Madrid for possible transfer of international defender Ferland Mendy, contrary to what he has been able to publish in certain media,” the statement from the club said."
Based off of everything that I have seen in the past couple weeks, I think there is a very good chance Mendy does end up coming to Real Madrid. While Lyon may have said there is no agreement in place, they could just be running damage control as they try to keep the rumors on the down low while negotiations are ongoing.
Mendy is a very talented player who has shown he can dribble, pass, and run with some of the best in the world. Just look at what he was able to do against FC Barcelona in the Champions League group stage in the fall.
Zizou is clearly unhappy with his current selection of fullbacks with Marcelo struggling for form this past season and while Sergio Reguilón had some good showings, he proved to be inconsistent.
Theo Hernandez and Achraf Hakimi are still on loan at the moment, however, Zidane has failed to mention them in his plans moving forward. While Mendy may not be the highest priority of signings this summer – Eden Hazard is, of course – he would no doubt be a great addition to a defense that struggled to keep the ball out of the back of the net.
We will continue to keep a close eye on any developments.