Out-of-favor Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has reached agreement with Al-Ahli to join the club this summer
According to Fabrizio Romano, the Senegal goalkeeper has signed a three-year contract with the Saudi club and will join the club in a permanent deal this summer from Chelsea.
The two parties are on the final round of talks to further iron out other critical details of the contract.
Edouard Mendy’s imminent Chelsea exit was on the card after a spell on the sidelines saw second choice goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga, took over as Chelsea first-choice goalkeeper.
Under ex-manager Thomas Tuchel, Mendy was Chelsea first-choice goalkeeper after joining the club from French Ligue 1 side, Rennes.
The Senegal international had a brilliant start to his Chelsea career after joining the club in 2020
Mendy signed a five-year contract with the club and won the Champions League the next year. His Chelsea fortunes was shortlived after he ended up on the sidelines with Kepa Arrizabalaga on the ascendancy.
After the sack of Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter made Arrizabalaga Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper, with the Senegal international struggling for game time.
Unlike other first team players who were set to leave the club this summer, Chelsea wanted to extend Edouard Mendy’s contract.
Evening Standard reported Chelsea were optimistic of tieing Mendy down at Stamford Bridge to a new contract but faced a contract extension deadlock.
The Senegal international was at the lower rungs of Chelsea’s wage ladder with a £55,000 weekly wage, £5,000 more than Chelsea least-paid player, Trevoh Chalobah.
According to reports, Chelsea prepared a new contract offer for Edouard Mendy with a slight but not a significant pay rise. Sources close to the club revealed the Blues increased Mendy’s wage in the new proposal but it was still far below Kepa Arrizabalaga’s weekly wage of £190,000.
Edouard Mendy blatantly turned down the offer and was ready to leave the club this summer despite having two years remaining on his contract.
The Times reported in May 2023 that Edouard Mendy had held talks again with Chelsea Chiefs for contract negotiation talks which ended in another deadlock.
The report also added the latest rebuttal by the shotstopper was a final blow to the contract renewal talks with the club abandoning the talks and exploring other alternatives.
From the foregoing, it was pretty clear Edouard will be allowed to leave this summer with Chelsea eager to sell off some players and downsize the squad.
Now, Mendy has joined other Chelsea stars such as N’Golo Kante and Hakim Ziyech on a move to Saudi Arabia.
Personal terms involving a three-year contract has been settled as per Fabrizio Romano but negotiations with Chelsea for a transfer fee is ongoing.
Since joining Chelsea from Rennes, Mendy has made 75 Premier League appearances for Chelsea. He made 31 in his first season with the club, 31 appearances in his second season and just 10 appearances in the 2022-2023 season.
