Chelsea are reportedly ready to let goalkeeper Edouard Mendy leave the club this summer as they search for a new number one.
The Senegal international initially won the battle to displace Kepa Arrizabalaga as the Blues' first-choice shot-stopper upon his arrival from Rennes in the summer of 2020.
With Mendy in between the sticks, Chelsea clinched Champions League, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup glory, but he has seldom been seen during the 2022-23 campaign.
A fractured finger has restricted the 31-year-old to just 11 appearances across all competitions, including one clean sheet from nine appearances in the Premier League.
Even before Mendy underwent surgery in January, the ex-Rennes man had seen his position come under threat from Arrizabalaga, who relegated him to the bench for four Premier League games and the same number of Champions League matches.
The Spaniard has held the fort in goal for Chelsea's last 16 matches across all competitions, although Mendy is now back in training as he eyes a comeback before the end of the season.
However, having lost his untouchable status, The Mirror now reports that Mendy will be on the transfer list this summer, and Chelsea have told him that he is free to find a new club.
The Senegal international remains under contract at Stamford Bridge for another two years, but the Blues have supposedly failed to tie him down to a new long-term deal due to a dispute over wage demands.
Mendy has posted 49 clean sheets from 104 appearances in a Chelsea jersey over the past two-and-a-half years, and the Blues have been linked with a multitude of possible replacements.
Everton's Jordan Pickford and Porto's Diogo Costa have both been linked with moves to Stamford Bridge, although they have recently penned new contracts with their respective clubs.
Brentford and Spain shot-stopper David Raya has also been mentioned as a possible target, and the 27-year-old recently hinted that he would be open to leaving the Bees in the summer, having turned down two offers of a contract extension.
"I turned down two contracts, one last year and one this January. They weren't the offers we were looking for. I can only say that," Raya told The Athletic.
" I have a contract here, so I'm willing to finish that, but you never know what's going to happen in the summer. Maybe the club wants to sell, maybe not. Maybe I want to stay. I want to focus on football and see what happens.
"The club will decide the price and if a club wants to pay money, that will be it. I'm not worried about that. I'm not in charge of that. I have big ambitions. I want to play in Europe and I want to fight to win a title. I want to fight to win a European title. I trust myself to be able to play in those types of games."
Chelsea drew 2-2 with Everton on Saturday to remain 10th in the Premier League table, and their first game back after the international break sees them host Aston Villa on April 1. body check tags ::
