Manchester City may be trailing Arsenal in the Premier League by eight points, but the champions have stolen a march on the Gunners in the pursuit of a key Real Madrid player.
Pep Guardiola's left-back options have been limited this season, with Nathan Ake often filling in on that side of defence after the January departure of Joao Cancelo on loan to Bayern Munich. Sergio Gomez has also been used sparingly by Guardiola, the 22-year-old playing just six league games so far this campaign.
That is set to change this summer, though, with Manchester City targeting Real Madrid left-back Ferland Mendy. According to Spanish outlet Fichajes (opens in new tab), City have moved ahead of Arsenal in the race for the Frenchman's signature as they look to address a problem position of theirs.
While an important member of the Real Madrid team when fit, executives at the club have reportedly grown tired of Mendy's injury record, and could look to cash in on him in the upcoming window.
The Spanish side will still want to make a profit on the 27-year-old, though, four years after signing him from Lyon for £46.5 million. Fichajes suggests that Real will only listen to offers greater than £50 million, despite Mendy having just two years remaining on his contract in the summer.
Arsenal are also reportedly interested in the Frenchman, but with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney already in the squad, it seems unlikely that Mikel Arteta will sanction a move.
Seemingly, Declan Rice still remains the priority, while more attacking options to cover for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus will also be among the list of targets.
Mendy has played 130 games for Real Madrid since joining four years ago, scoring five goals and producing ten assists. He has won two La Liga titles in that time, as well as the 2022 Champions League.
Transfermarkt (opens in new tab) values Mendy at £30.7 million.