Manchester City close on Benjamin Mendy and target Alexis Sanchez next with summer spend set to top £200m

City have been negotiating with Monaco for weeks but they are now close to agreeing a fee for Mendy which is likely to be close to the £50m that they paid for Kyle Walker

Manchester City are closing in on the signing of Benjamin Mendy from Monaco (AFP)

Manchester City are closing in on a deal for Monaco left-back Benjamin Mendy.

After signing Kyle Walker from Tottenham on Friday, City are now targeting a similar player on the other flank and France international Mendy is the man that they want.

City have been negotiating with Monaco for weeks but they are now close to agreeing a fee for Mendy which is likely to be close to the £50m that City paid for Walker. Only the minor details of the deal remain to be agreed, as well as Mendy’s medical.

Mendy would be City’s second purchase from Monaco this summer after signing Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva for an initial £43m at the start of the window. Mendy’s arrival would take City’s spending towards the £200m mark, following Silva, Walker and Benfica goalkeeper Ederson.

They remain keen on Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez, who finally announced his desire to leave for Champions League football on Saturday. But City know that they would have to offer a huge fee, close to £70m, to land the Chile international.

Pep Guardiola’s squad fly to the United States for their pre-season tour on Monday. They will play Manchester United in Houston, Real Madrid in Los Angeles and Tottenham Hotspur in Nashville.

City hope that the Mendy deal can be completed in time for him to be part of the squad for the tour.