Chelsea are reportedly set to return with a higher offer for Rennes goalkeeper Edouard Mendy after seeing an opening bid of €16m (£14.2m) rejected by the French outfit.
Despite having already spent big with the signings of Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner and Ben Chilwell, a new goalkeeper is still said to be on the agenda for Blues manager Frank Lampard.
The Chelsea boss has supposedly lost faith in current number one Kepa Arrizabalaga following a number of error-strewn performances last season, and Lampard is believed to have identified Mendy as an ideal cut-price alternative to Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak.
However, The Guardian claims that Rennes will not be bullied into a sale and Chelsea are preparing a second bid of €20m (£17.8m) for the Senegal international.
The report also claims that the Ligue 1 outfit are looking take Blues defender Fikayo Tomori on loan for the new season, but there is no telling as to whether the 22-year-old will be used as part of a deal for Mendy, and Rennes are keen to keep hold of the shot-stopper regardless.
Lille's Mike Maignan and Paris Saint-Germain's Alphonse Areola have also been mentioned as potential replacements for Kepa at Stamford Bridge.
Ben Knapton
