Nottingham Forest will rival teams from around Europe for the signature of French midfielder Batista Mendy, according to reports.
The 23-year-old is attracting interest from the Premier League, Germany, Spain and his home nation, L’Equipe say, after being relegated with Angers this season. It is not expected that he will follow the club to Ligue 2.
Despite his club finishing bottom of the French top flight with a measly 18 points from 38 games, Mendy was a consistent performer, and those displays have not gone unnoticed.
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With just a year left on his deal, there are plenty of clubs looking to give him a new home, with L’Equipe expecting he will be available for as little as €4m (£3.5m).
As well as Forest, it is reported that Everton are keen on Mendy, with Bundesliga outfit Mainz and La Liga giants Valencia also keeping tabs. Closer to home, Strasbourg and Montpellier have been linked.
Mendy has been with Angers for two seasons, missing only three matches this term as a consistent presence at the base of their midfield, the 23-year-old occasionally used as a centre-back.
At 6ft 2in, he has the physical attributes to dominate, but he is more than capable on the ball too. He ranked 23rd in Ligue 1 for progressive passes, but the best of any player from the bottom seven clubs.
A former French youth international, Mendy came very close to moving to England aged 18 when he looked set to sign a contract with Brighton, only to choose to remain with Nantes.
Forest may need to strengthen in the centre of the park this summer with three midfielders released at the end of their contract, Cafu, Jack Colback and Jesse Lingard all waving goodbye to the City Ground.
Is Mendy the sort of player Forest should be looking at this summer? Let us know in the comments section below.
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