Inter Milan are considering a move to sign Manchester City full-back Benjamin Mendy this summer, according to Corriere dello Sport.
The Serie A champions are keen to strengthen the San Siro ranks for Simone Inzaghi after parting with Ashley Young. The former Manchester United midfielder has returned to the Premier League with Aston Villa on a free transfer, after his contract expired last month.
Young’s departure has left Inzaghi facing a lack of depth at left-back after replacing Antonio Conte at the helm. Inter Milan are now exploring raids on the Premier League for the position, with Manchester City defender Mendy under consideration.
The Nerazzurri are also considering Liverpool’s Konstantinos Tsimikas and Manchester United’s Alex Telles a year after they moved to England. Neither were able to establish roles in the Premier League, with Tsimikas playing twice and Telles nine times last season.
Mendy also struggled for minutes at Manchester City, with Pep Guardiola fielding his £52m signing 13 times. Of those, the former Monaco man started 11, of which five came after returning to the side in March after spending the prior three months solely on the bench.
The Frenchman now has two years remaining on his £90,000-per-week contract at the Etihad Stadium. Manchester City will soon face a critical point, where Guardiola must either extend Mendy’s contract to protect his value or look to sell, amid interest from Inter Milan.
Manchester City can sell Mendy to Inter Milan
Guardiola has been full of praise for Mendy at times, but Manchester City can cope with selling the 26-year-old amid interest from Inter Milan. The Citizens are well-stocked at left-back with Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko, while Aymeric Laporte can give cover.
Cancelo was one of the stars of the season for the Sky Blues last term and a contender for their Player of the Year awards. The Portuguese found a place for himself in Guardiola’s plans and provided a key outlet by repeatedly stepping forward to join the midfield line.
Zinchenko, meanwhile, can offer a presence in attack and defence when fielded at full-back as the understudy. All the while Mendy mostly watched on as Manchester City turned their campaign around to win the Premier League. Guardiola’s praise also shows his limited use.
“[He’s] happy in the locker room,” Guardiola said, via the club’s website, after using a three-at-the-back formation at Fulham. “Benjamin is an exceptional human being. He has specific qualities and we played with wing-backs. It was perfect for his quality. But he showed attention, aggression, he didn’t lose balls and in the final-third, his crosses were brilliant.”
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