Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has reportedly asked the club to give Ferland Mendy a new deal as soon as possible. According to Football-Espana, the Italian manager wants to be able to depend on the French defender after the club missed out on Manchester United-bound Leny Yoro.
Carlo Ancelotti Wants To Secure Ferland Mendy’s Future
Having added Kylian Mbappe to their already star-studded attack, Real Madrid have become the most valuable club in the world. Mbappe was Madrid’s No. 1 priority for the summer transfer window, but he was not the only man on Los Blancos’ wishlist. Lille defender Yoro was to be the next one to join the reigning European champions. The move was arguably more important than Mbappe’s, as Madrid had lost veteran defender Nacho on June 30.
Real Madrid were reportedly so confident about signing Yoro that they let one of their prominent youngsters Rafa Marin join Serie A side Napoli. Now, with Marin gone and Yoro inching closer to Manchester United, Real Madrid are a man short in defense.
With no move lined up for a center-back, Ancelotti wants Real Madrid to confirm Mendy’s extension as soon as possible. Mendy, who is the “best defensive left-back” in Ancelotti’s books, is in the final year of his contract. Real Madrid started negotiating an extension with him earlier in July, and Ancelotti has made it clear that they cannot fail to extend his stay.
Thanks to Mendy’s defensive acumen, Ancelotti could easily deploy him as a center-back when he is lacking men at the heart of the defense. It could even be Mendy’s permanent role if Real Madrid succeed in signing Alphonso Davies from Bayern Munich in the coming weeks.
Why Did Real Madrid Fail To Land Leny Yoro?
Since the start of 2024, reliable sources have linked Yoro with a move to Real Madrid, claiming the player only wanted to join the Spanish outfit. So, a switch to Manchester United, who are not even playing in the Champions League this season, has come as a surprise to many.
However, according to transfer gurus Fabrizio Romano and David Ornstein, there is nothing complicated about the sudden switch from Madrid to Manchester. The 18-year-old had eyes for the La Liga outfit, but Real Madrid were not prepared to pay over €20/25 million ($21.87/27.34 million) to secure his services this summer. In case Lille did not accept, they were prepared to wait a year to sign him for free.
Manchester United, meanwhile, approached the deal with more openness and agreed to pay €50 million ($54.67 million) plus add-ons for Yoro. Lille accepted the offer right away, expediting the process. The deal, however, is still in the works, with Man Utd pushing hard to complete it as soon as possible to avoid a potential hijack.
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