Leicester City’s price for Nampalys Mendy is too high
Leicester City midfielder Nampalys Mendy is eager to leave the club but the current asking price is far too high.
Last summer, when N’Golo Kante’s move to Chelsea FC was announced, Leicester City were given the seemingly impossible task of replacing the defensive midfielder.
Kante was able to do the job of two players and was a key cog in the title charge, and his departure was difficult to swallow for the fans, even if he was sold for an incredible profit of nearly £30 million.
With that profit, the club brought in Nampalys Mendy from Nice for £15.5 million in the hopes that he would be Kante’s equal. While they are similar in height and stature, Mendy was never able to make the impact that the Frenchman did.
The comparisons may have been unfair because it is clear how special a player the departed Kante is, but they had to be made because Mendy was brought in as a direct replacement.
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Now the club is looking to sell off the disappointing Mendy, who only made four league appearances under Claudio Ranieri and Craig Shakespeare, but no one is willing to meet their asking price.
The reported asking price stands at £16 million, which is far too high for a player who did little to boost his value last season.
Bordeaux is reportedly Mendy’s preferred destination, but they are more often than not a selling club. Even if they do bring in a player, it is usually in the €3-6 million range, making it unrealistic to expect them to spend three or four times their usual outlay for a defensive midfielder.
In cases like these, a club must make a choice – to lower their asking price and take a loss on a player, or dig their heels in and hope that a wantaway and disappointing player suddenly improves.
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In the case of Mendy, it was clear last season that he was not ready for the Premier League, so the club must lower the price if he is no longer in their plans. At best, he can provide some depth for the club in other domestic competitions, shall they choose to focus on league success or simply staying in the top flight.