Brought in by Claudio Ranieri, who is a big fan of the defensive midfielder, Nampalys Mendy’s time at Leicester hasn’t exactly gone to plan.
Injured for the vast majority of last season, the 25-year-old only managed nine appearances for the Foxes in their post-Premier League title campaign, and a temporary exit to get him back on track looks like the most logical solution, especially after the emergence of Wilfred Ndidi.
A return to Nantes, where Ranieri has just been unveiled as manager, was touted, but, speaking to L’Equipe on Tuesday, Mendy made it clear that wasn’t going to happen, mostly because he hasn’t heard from his former manager.
What could be on the cards, however, is a loan to Bordeaux in Ligue 1, a move the defensive midfielder would be very open to.
He said: “Since my agent told me about the possibility to join Bordeaux, I’ve been fixated on that. If I return to France, it’ll be Bordeaux or nothing. I’m now hoping to join Les Girondins quickly. It’s even an obsession.”
In fact, his agent is already working hard to get a deal done.
He said: “I’m going to do my everything to help Papy sign with Bordeaux. In France, it’s the only challenge that interests us. More than Rennes or Nantes, Bordeaux is the only club that can match Nampaly’s stature.”
Now injury free after a second operation on his ankle and a long but rewarding rehabilitation process, all Mendy wants to do is get back on the football field regularly.
And unless Leicester strongly oppose to it, Bordeaux appears to be where he’ll be getting the minutes he wants.
