Chelsea will decide on whether to sign a new goalkeeper this summer amid the situation surrounding Edouard Mendy and Kepa Arrizabalaga, according to The Telegraph.
The club believes it would be easier to sell Mendy than Arrizabalaga and could let the 2021 African Cup of Nations winner go.
Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital understand Mendy’s value to Chelsea, but they know they will struggle to sell Arrizabalaga.
Mendy is currently on £50,000 a week, making him affordable for other clubs. By contrast, Arrizabalaga signed a deal worth £196,000 weekly when he joined Chelsea in 2018.
They paid the world-record fee for a goalkeeper to sign him from Athletic Bilbao and matched it with the salary.
However, after a decent first season in London, Arrizabalaga began to underperform. Maurizio Sarri left, and Frank Lampard took over. The team became less structured, and Chelsea conceded 54 league goals.
The following season, Petr Cech and Christophe Lollichon brought Mendy from Stade Rennais for £22 million and almost a quarter of the salary.
In his first season, Mendy helped Chelsea to win the Champions League. Then coach Thomas Tuchel inexplicably benched him for the FA Cup final that Chelsea lost 1-0.
The lone goal came from a Youri Tielemans effort from a long distance that fans continue to argue that Mendy would have saved.
Mendy helped Chelsea win the Super Cup and Club World Cup last season. The 30-year-old also helped Senegal claim their first AFCON title.
However, since returning from the tournament in Cameroon, Mendy’s form for Chelsea has been poor.
A high-profile error against Real Madrid in the Champions League gifted Karim Benzema a goal. The Frenchman netted a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge that knocked Chelsea out.
He made another spectacular gaffe against Leeds United this season, allowing Brenden Aaronson to score as the Whites triumphed 3-0.
Since Graham Potter came in, he has reinstated Arrizabalaga as the first-choice goalkeeper. He has started all games for the former Brighton & Hove Albion boss.
But Mendy has a chance to take back his starting berth. Arrizabalaga is out of action for ten days. Mendy will start in the Champions League game against Dinamo Zagreb tomorrow.
He will also be in goal for the blockbuster game against high-flying Arsenal on Sunday.
This is Mendy’s chance to show that he is the better goalkeeper. Otherwise, the club may decide to sell him this summer.
