Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has turned down a new six-year contract over a lack of ‘respect’ over wages, according to reports.
The 30-year-old joined the Blues from French side Rennes in 2020 and won the Champions League in his first season at the club to become a fan favourite.
Mendy has started eight of Chelsea’s 14 Premier League matches this season but an agreement is yet to be reached over a new deal to keep him at the club.
The Sun claims that the Chelsea goalkeeper ‘earns around £100,000 a week and wants parity with his Blues rival Kepa Arrizabalaga who picks up almost twice that’.
It is understood that there is now a ‘stand-off’ between the club and Mendy with Chelsea understood to have now ‘withdrawn their initial offer of a long-term deal’.
A source told The Sun: “Edouard is back at Chelsea and he is ready to play.
“But there is a feeling that the contract situation is just going nowhere.
“Edouard has won some huge trophies for Chelsea — but there is a sense that he is not being shown enough respect by the club over a new deal.”
Graham Potter took over from Thomas Tuchel earlier in the season but Chelsea – who sit eighth in the Premier League table – have been struggling to adapt to the Englishman’s ways after an initially promising start.
Chelsea lost four of their last five matches in all competitions before the World Cup break and there is already speculation as to whether Potter is already under pressure to keep his job.
Former Premier League defender Alan Hutton insists he “can’t see” Potter getting sacked “any time soon” despite their poor run of form.
“Graham Potter has literally just walked through the door,” Hutton told Football Insider.
“The door is still spinning. I can’t see that happening any time soon.
“I think Graham Potter signed up for a project. He is going to have to put his own stamp on the team. He has still not even really been able to do that.
“It is very very harsh to be talking about him leaving right now.”
And former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara reckons Chelsea lost one of the best managers in the world when they decided to get rid of Tuchel.
“Tuchel did a great job and you are seeing already how hard it is for Graham Potter,” O’Hara said recently.
“Thomas Tuchel took over a football club who were flying, brought the success, won the Champions league, then the owner left and he was there to try and organise the complete mess and get through a period of time. The new owner comes in, they don’t get on and gets rid of him.”
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