Arsenal look set to continue their love story with Real Madrid in the summer as they have set their eyes on Ferland Mendy for a transfer.
The French defender, 28, has been with Los Blancos for five seasons after signing a six-year contract with the 14-time UEFA Champions League winners from French Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais. He is entering the last year of his contract and there have been no concrete reports about a renewal for the Frenchman, making him a target for many clubs such as Arsenal.
Having signed the likes of Mesut Özil, Dani Ceballos and Martin Ødegaard from Madrid in recent times to great success, they are looking to pick off another Madrid player to strengthen their squad.
Mendy made the matchday squad but missed Sunday’s El Clasico with a little fitness issue. This has been his story for quite some time at the club now which makes the uncertainty around him swell.
Speculation about the LaLiga giant’s pursuit of Alphonso Davies of Bayern Munich have also fuelled the rumours that Mendy will be the one to be sacrificed. The versatility of Eduardo Camavinga and the backup option that is Fran Garcia seems to be enough for the Spanish giants to consider doing away with Mendy if they land Alonso.
Several clubs have picked up on this including Arsenal, who are reportedly making him an important option to strengthen their defence. This is all according to French reporters L’Equipe, who also report that the versatile Oleksandr Zinchenko could make way for Timber and Mendy to hold down the left-back slot at the Emirates for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, a player on loan at Arsenal for the 2023/24 season is getting lots of love from manager Mikel Arteta.
“Very, because we didn’t concede anything up to that point,” Arteta began, answering the question about how his team played against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Saturday. “We had some very open situations that would have changed the game for sure.
“David was outstanding in that moment to make the save that we needed and then we took advantage. I think he’s been very consistent throughout the whole season. The numbers are proof of that. I think the timing of the first goal was really helpful as well. Really happy.”
Raya’s agent will most likely be calculating moves for the summer because the Spanish goalkeeper said he loves the atmosphere around the club. With the latest news coming out of France now, it could also cost Arsenal nothing much to keep Raya either permanently or temporarily for one more season to save transfer costs.
