Thirty-one-year-old Mendy joined Chelsea three years ago from Rennes, making 105 competitive appearances for the English team and keeping 49 clean sheets. With the “Blues” he won the Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup in 2021 and the Club World Cup a year later. He also helped Senegal to their first gold at the Africa Cup of Nations last year.
The series of transfers for a lucrative job in Saudi Arabia was started in January by Cristiano Ronaldo, who left for al-Nasr after his time at Manchester United, where he has an annual income of 200 million euros. The Portuguese offensive star was followed by Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema at the beginning of June. The French striker strengthened al-Ittihad after the expiry of his contract at Real Madrid.
Portuguese midfielder Rúben Neves then transferred from Wolverhampton to al-Hilal. Another Chelsea player, Moroccan offensive midfielder Hakim Zijach, is reportedly heading for an-Nasr after Ronaldo.