Barcelona allowed Lucas Digne to join Everton before the start of the season and his departure has left Jordi Alba as the only recognised senior left-back i athe club.
The front page of Mundo Deportivo claims Ernesto Valverde and the technical secretary of the La Liga winners have identified strengthening the left side of the back four as a priority.
This is when Lyon’s Ferland Mendy, who has impressed for the Ligue 1 outfit since joining them from Le Harve in 2017, is mentioned.
It’s reported the Spanish champions have been following him from his youth days and have watched him live in action in the past few months, including the big defeat against PSG at the weekend.
Eric Abidal was appointed as the Blaugrana’s technical secretary in the summer and even before he took his current position at Camp Nou, he had his eyes on the 23-year-old. The defender has played every minute in the league and the Champions League, has scored once and has one assist to his name across nine appearances.
Despite renewal in the summer, Barcelona believe Lyon will sell for the right price in the summer.
The two clubs have done business in the past, when Samuel Umtiti moved to Spain in 2016 and since then the European giants have shared a good relationship with Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas.
Abidal also has a history with Lyon as he represented them during his playing career and is also in good terms with the defender’s manager, Bruno Genésio. 
The publication claims that Mendy is the ‘favourite’ candidate for the left-back position at Barcelona as they view him as an ideal replacement for Alba, whose environment are yet to hear about renewing the Spaniard’s contract.
It should be seen if Valverde’s side will bring the left-back to the club, either in January or at the end of the season.
