Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Gareth Bicknell

Chelsea 'have Declan Rice transfer in sights' after Edouard Mendy 'bid accepted'

Chelsea have reportedly had a bid accepted for Edouard Mendy, with the Rennes goalkeeper set to travel to London for a medical.

And Frank Lampard could to turn his attention to West Ham midfielder Declan Rice next week once Mendy's signature is secured.

Mendy is expected to join Chelsea in a deal worth around £18m as manager Lampard looks to bring in competition for Kepa Arrizabalaga, who was dropped at key times last season.

He will join Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva and Malang Sarr in signing for Chelsea, with Lampard looking to turn his side into Premier League title contenders as he prepares for Monday's season-opener against Brighton.

Rice has long been linked with a return to Stamford Bridge, having been on Chelsea's books as a youngster.

The signing of Edouard Mendy will reportedly be confirmed in the coming days (SIPA USA/PA Images)

And once a deal for Mendy is done and dusted, the West Ham midfielder could become the club's next big-money signing, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The journalist claims that Chelsea are unwilling to meet the Hammers' £74m valuation of Rice and will look to haggle down the price tag.

He tweeted: "Edouard Mendy will be in London on next few hours - the deal is 100% done. Chelsea will consider a move for Declan Rice on following days but won’t pay €80m. West Ham insist they don’t want to sell Rice."

Declan Rice could be Chelsea's next top target (Adam Davy/NMC/Pool/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Earlier, he had tweeted that Chelsea's bid for Mendy had been accepted by Rennes, with personal terms having been agreed "days ago".

The Sun reported last month that Chelsea were willing to wait for a discount on Rice, believing their London rivals urgently need to sell before they can press ahead with recruitment plans.

The same strategy worked when Chelsea played the long game for Chilwell, who was initially worth an extra £20million to Leicester City.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.