Monaco slap €65m price tag on Manchester United target

Manchester City and Manchester United have potentially been served with a decisive blow in their pursuit of Benjamin Mendy after being told they will need to make him the most expensive defender of all-time by matching their €65m (£55m) valuation, reports The Daily Record.

Mendy, 22, has enjoyed an outstanding campaign for Ligue 1 table toppers Monaco this season and now features towards the top of Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho’s summer transfer lists, as both managers look to solve their troublesome left-back position.

The France international only joined Monaco from Marseille last summer in a deal worth a reported £11m but Monaco are now demanding more than five times that figure as they look to ward off potential interest in the summer with a huge price tag.

Both United and City are expected to strengthen in that area of the pitch at the end of the season. Luke Shaw has reiterated his desire to stay at United but appears set to be sold after falling out of favour under Jose Mourinho, while City will allow Gael Clichy to leave the club when his contract expires this summer, leaving them with just 31-year-old Aleksandar Kolarov.

Only Bernardo Silva (7) and Thomas Lemar (6) have registered more assists in Ligue 1 for Monaco this season than left-back Mendy (5).

For more stats on Benjamin Mendy, click here to visit his WhoScored player page