Leicester City have signed Nampalys Mendy from Nice on a four-year contract. The 24-year-old becomes the Premier League champions’ third summer signing, following Ron-Robert Zieler and Luis Hernández.
Although the fee is undisclosed, Leicester are understood to have paid around £10m for the midfielder, who said: “I am very happy to come to Leicester. The team have just enjoyed a great season and it’s excellent to be here. For me I want to play at this level. I like the Premier League and I follow every match. It’s fast and physical and I want to impose myself on the league.
“I know the coach [Claudio Ranieri], I know his mentality and I know his philosophy. When he speaks it’s direct and clear and I like this.”
Mendy began his career with Monaco, where he played every game under Ranieri during the 2012-13 season en route to winning the Ligue 2 title. Mendy is regarded as a similar player to N’Golo Kanté, who has a £20m release clause in his contract and has attracted interest from Chelsea and Paris-Saint Germain.
The central midfielder, who has been capped by France at under-21 level, helped Nice to fourth in Ligue 1 last season and played in every match for Claude Puel’s side.
