Chelsea weigh up fresh Edouard Mendy bid with Kai Havertz set to seal £72m move

Chelsea intend to make a fresh bid for Rennes keeper Edouard Mendy after having a £14million move rejected.

The West Londoners also expect to finally tie up a £72million deal for Bayer Leverkusen forward Kai Havertz this week to smash their spending past the £200million mark.

Havertz, 21, is understood to have agreed terms on a five-year deal while his huge transfer fee is understood to include clauses including a bonus if Chelsea win the Champions League within the next five years.

Leverkusen boss Peter Bosz has already confirmed that Havertz will no longer train with the squad due to his impending move.

“Unfortunately, our squad has not yet been determined,” he said. “I don’t expect Kevin Volland and Kai Havertz to train with us again. It is possible that other players will also change. We definitely need to bring in players.”

While Volland is set to join Monaco, Havertz will become Frank Lampard’s sixth summer signing following the arrivals of Hakim Ziyech for £37m, Timo Werner for £47.5m, Ben Chilwell for £50m and defenders Thiago Silva and Malang Sarr on free transfers.

Another £72million signing however, flop Kepa Arrizabalaga, could yet stay as Chelsea’s second choice keeper.

Kepa has fallen down the pecking order at Chelsea to the extent that he was dropped from the Champions League demolition at the hands of Bayern Munich in favour of 38-year-old Willy Caballero.

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Mendy, who stands at 6ft 4in compared to Kepa’s 6ft 1in, only signed for Rennes last year. The Senegal keeper is valued by his club but Chelsea could yet make them an offer they find hard to refuse.

Amid it all, Chelsea Technical Director Petr Cech has suggested Kepa could still stay.

The Spaniard made 33 appearances in the Premier League last season but Chelsea conceded 54 goals, more than any other team in the top 10.

With few takers for his services, Cech said: “Additions will be made to the squad, perhaps even in goal and this is what is being discussed now. But nobody is giving up on Kepa and we all hope he has a great future.”