Yesterday, we relayed news from L’Equipe claiming that Nampalys Mendy, looking for a way out from Leicester City, had rejected the chance to move to Rennes in Ligue 1.
Keen to return to France if the club is right, the 25-year-old clearly wasn’t up for the challenge of playing for a team who, while in a good rebuilding process, have struggled early on in the season as they currently sit 19th in the league after four games.
The northern club are desperately looking to bolster their midfield late on in the transfer window, and while Mendy was an option, he isn’t the only man they’ve considered, with a Crystal Palace player also featuring on their list.
That man is Yohan Cabaye, saved from his Ligue 1 return hell by the Eagles in 2015, who has yet to feature regularly under Frank de Boer due to his recovery from a foot injury.
The 31-year-old has only featured twice so far since the start of the season, coming off the bench once in the Premier League and playing the full 90 minutes in a 2-1 win against Ipswich in the Carabao Cup.
It remains to be seen if the Frenchman will become a key component of the Dutch manager’s plans this season, but if he doesn’t, another return to his home country could have presented itself were it not for his current wages.
L’Equipe explain that Rennes, despite looking at the Crystal Palace man, considered a move for Cabaye ‘unfeasible’ because of his salary.
Maybe if the former Newcastle star lowered his demands, something could be done, but there is no indication that is likely to happen.
Nor that the Eagles are particularly willing to sell, either.
