Real Madrid Transfer News: £45M defender's transfer delayed; set for completion after international break
What's the story?
Real Madrid have delayed the signing of French international left-back Ferland Mendy as they await further test results on his problematic hip.
RMC Sport is claiming that the delay was caused due to the fact that the French training centre of Clairefontaine did not have the required facilities to perform additional tests on the 23-year-old rising sensation.
The signing will be completed once the additional tests are performed on the youngster by the Real Madrid medical staff, post the current round of international fixtures.
In case you didn't know...
After a dismal 2018-19 La Liga season, Real Madrid have loosened their purse strings to revamp their squad. Los Blancos have already signed FC Porto's Brazilian center-back Eder Militao and Eintracht Frankfurt's Serbian striker Luka Jovic and are also reportedly set to announce the arrival of Chelsea's Belgian playmaker Eden Hazard soon.
Ferland Mendy, meanwhile, caught the attention of Europe's premier clubs with a standout performance this season in Olympique Lyon's defence. The 23-year-old managed 3 goals and 3 assists in all competitions, helping Lyon finish 3rd in the Ligue 1 standings.
The prolonged injury absence of Manchester City wing-back Benjamin Mendy opened the doors of the French national team to the youngster, with manager Didier Deschamps handing him his first international cap in November 2018.
The heart of the matter
Ferland Mendy has suffered from hip problems previously in his career and it is for this reason that Real Madrid want to perform additional tests on the 23-year-old. Initial tests were carried out at the Clairefontaine training facility, as Mendy is part of the French national team preparing for its upcoming UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers against Turkey and Albania.
A transfer fee of £45m had previously been agreed between the two clubs, with the contract signing scheduled to commence post Mendy's medical clearance.
What's next?
Ferland Mendy and France face off against Turkey on Sunday and Andorra on Wednesday as part of Les Blues' UEFA Euro 2020 Qualification campaign.