Rennes president Nicolas Holveck has revealed that formal talks are underway with Chelsea about the sale of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, but he was at pains to stress that no agreement had been reached yet.

Reports in the English press had suggested that the Blues were on the verge of agreeing a fee in the region of £25m for the Senegalese international but Holveck says things have not progressed that far:

“We’ve started official negotiations with Chelsea to sell Edouard Mendy. We know the player wants to leave [and join Chelsea]. But the agreement at the moment is not 100 per cent completed between the three parts.”

It does seem like it will be a matter of time before the two clubs come to an agreement on Mendy but the big question will be whether it will happen before Chelsea’s first game of the season against Brighton on Monday.

As things stand, manager Frank Lampard will have to decide whether to put Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal or opt to overlook the Spaniard once more for the veteran Willy Caballero.

However, if the Blues can get a deal over the line for Mendy quickly, they could well have a new number one when they head down to the south coast to play at the Amex next week.