Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy is close to signing for Saudi Pro-League side Al Ahli.

Talks are ongoing but Mendy is expected to join the big-name players moving to the country.

The Senegal international, 31, joined Chelsea in 2020 from Rennes, providing competition for Kepa Arrizabalaga.

He became first choice, winning the 2020-21 Champions League, and was named Uefa’s goalkeeper of the season and Best Fifa men’s keeper for 2021.

Joining Chelsea teammates

A move to Al Ahli would see Mendy join the growing ranks of elite players persuaded to join a Saudi Arabian club.

Chelsea team-mate N’Golo Kante recently agreed to sign for league champions Al-Ittihad and will be joined there by Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema.

Meanwhile, Blues centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly and winger Hakim Ziyech are also reportedly the subject of interest from teams in the league.

After starting his football career in France, Mendy went through various clubs before finding success at Chelsea.

Edouard Mendy overview

He joined the Premier League side in September 2020 for a reported fee of £22 million. In his debut season, Mendy made history as the first African goalkeeper to play for Chelsea’s senior team. He kept an impressive sixteen clean sheets in the Premier League and equaled the record for the most clean sheets in a UEFA Champions League season with nine.

Mendy’s stellar performances helped Chelsea secure their second Champions League title, and he was awarded both the UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year and The Best FIFA Goalkeeper of 2021, becoming the first African goalkeeper to win both prestigious awards.

While Mendy had the option to play for Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, or France, he initially chose to represent Guinea-Bissau in honor of his father.

However, he later switched his allegiance to Senegal, where he became the first-choice goalkeeper for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, aiding Senegal in reaching the final. In the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, Mendy played a vital role in Senegal’s triumph, earning the title of the tournament’s best goalkeeper and keeping a clean sheet in the final.