Suspended Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has pleaded not guilty to nine sexual offences at Chester Crown Court.
The left-back was initially charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault back in August 2021 having already made two appearances for Man City that season.
Mendy was immediately suspended by the Premier League champions following the allegations, and numerous new charges followed for the Frenchman in the winter months.
In total, Mendy has been charged with seven counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and one count of attempted rape against six young women.
The alleged offences are reported to have taken place between October 2018 and August 2021, and he was released on bail ahead of his Crown Court date.
The 27-year-old and co-defendant Louis Saha Matturie, aged 40, appeared in the dock at Chester Crown Court on Monday, and both men pleaded not guilty to all charges against them.
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Matturie, from Eccles in Salford, is facing a total of 12 charges, including eight counts of rape and four counts of sexual assault against eight young women from July 2012 to August 2021.
Mendy and Matturie are due to appear before a jury on July 25 following their not guilty pleas on Monday, and the two defendants remain on bail.
Prior to being charged by police on August 26, Mendy had played the full 90 minutes against Leicester City in Man City's Community Shield defeat at Wembley on August 7.
The former France international also started and lasted 79 minutes on the opening day of the Premier League season against Tottenham Hotspur - his most recent match for Pep Guardiola's side - and he was on the bench at home to Norwich City on August 21.
Since arriving in Manchester from Monaco in the summer of 2017, Mendy has gone on to make 75 appearances for the Citizens, scoring two goals and providing 14 assists.
A World Cup winner with France in 2018, the defender has been a part of three Premier League-winning teams, four EFL Cup triumphs and one FA Cup success under Guardiola.
