Benjamin Mendy set to be forced out of French second tier club after being told he is ‘not a player I particularly want’
BENJAMIN MENDY is on the brink of an exit from French side Lorient, reports suggest.
It comes after the former Manchester City defender was told he is not in the plans of manager Olivier Pantaloni.
Mendy, 30, joined the club on a two-year deal following the expiry of his City contract in 2023, with his arrival crashing the club’s website.
He played just 15 times for Les Merlus last season as he was plagued by persistent injuries.
However, this year he has effectively been frozen out of the squad after failing to even make the bench in the club’s opening pair of Ligue 2 fixtures.
Mendy has been joined by £40million Chelsea flop Tiemoue Bakayoko, Isaak Touré and Jean-Victor Makengo on the unwanted list, according to Ouest France.
Boss Pantaloni told reporters at a press conference on Thursday: “Sportingly, they know that these are not players that I particularly want to have in the group.
“I don’t want the balance of the group to be disturbed or even hampered by the arrival in the team of players who do not want to experience a journey with FC Lorient.”
Mendy joined City from Monaco in 2017.
At the club he played 75 games, scoring two goals and adding 12 assists.
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He left City by mutual consent having not played for the Premier League champions since August 2021 after he was suspended by the club when he was arrested following an accusation of rape.
Mendy was cleared of rape and attempted rape at Chester Crown Court last year.
He smiled for the camera just hours after a jury cleared him of attempting to rape a woman aged 29 as she showered at his home in October 2018.
The footballer was also found not guilty of raping a 24-year-old woman in his bedroom at his £4.8m mansion in Prestbury, Cheshire, two years later.
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Chelsea reportedly remain in talks to sign Victor Osimhen from Napoli, with time running out for the Blues to complete a deal.
Meanwhile, Ivan Toney is expected to join Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli, according to reports.
Elsewhere, Newcastle are set to walk away from their long-running pursuit of Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi.
In other news, Chelsea and Juventus remain in discussions over a deal for Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho ahead of the 11pm deadline.
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