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LONDON. — Edouard Mendy has knocked back Chelsea’s opening offer of a new contract.
The Senegalese goalkeeper is one of the lowest-paid players in the Blues squad but rejected the first proposal because the terms were inferior to his understudy Kepa Arrizabalaga, who is on £190 000 a week.
According to the Evening Standard, the club are keen to tie the stopper down to fresh terms despite recent mistakes against Leeds and West Ham.
Kepa was handed a deal åçworth nearly £200k-a-week when he was signed from Athletic Bilbao for £71 million in 2018.
Mendy meanwhile, has been one of the lowest earners at Stamford Bridge since his £22m move from Rennes in 2020.
On Monday, homegrown defender Reece James committed to the club long-term, signing a bumper new six-year deal worth £250 000 a week and making him the highest-paid defender in Chelsea history.
The west London side are also said to be opening contract talks with fellow academy star, midfielder Mason Mount, too as new owner Todd Boehly looks to secure the club’s top talent for the foreseeable future.
Mendy’s current deal — signed when he joined from Rennes in September 2020 — runs until 2025, and manager Thomas Tuchel defended his No. 1 despite errors costing his side recently.
He said: ”It’s a very sensitive position in football and it’s not everything that’s just pure quality and only about decision-making. It’s also about confidence and luck.
”So, this is what you need also from leaders and from goalkeepers, and that they have the kind of momentum that if they do a little mistake, it’s not punished.
”Now, he gets punished a lot for not a lot of what he does wrong, but there are no doubts in my mind.
“The situation is calm. We have two fantastic goalkeepers, two fantastic guys. We are aware of it that (Mendy) is in that kind of situation, but first, we deal inside and then we tell you.”
Tuchel’s side faced Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia in their Champions League group-stage opener last night. — Mailonline
Online Reporter