Robbie Savage shares Hearts transfer talks with Derek McInnes over 'unbelievable' star as he drops hint
Hearts made an offer for one of the former midfielder’s players.
Robbie Savage has revealed Hearts transfer talks with Derek McInnes over Forest Green Rovers midfielder Laurent Mendy.
The former Blackburn Rovers and Derby County star is boss at the National League side, who’s 28-year-old engine room star who can also play in defence has attracted Jambos interest. A bid has been turned down as Forest Green chase promotion back to the English Football League while Hearts seek cover in midfield, amid injury to Cammy Devlin.
Boss Savage says he’s spoken with Hearts head coach McInnes, with plenty of respect held for the Tynecastle leader. While a bid has been rejected, he feels interest in Mendy will not be at an end. Mendy has had a nomadic career in the lower leagues of England and Sweden before coming to form at Macclesfield Town and Forest Green Rovers. Hearts face Celtic in the Premiership this weekend and could extend their lead at the top of the table to nine points with a win.
Robbie Savage on Hearts transfer talks
He told club media: “Right now for us, the offer for us to go and replace Mendy right now, if you are looking at young Premier League centre-halves at 21, some agents might think they do not want to go to the National League.
“Who is going to sell us a player now? We will go for a top player from a team challenging for promotion in any league. Are the centre-halves in our league as good as Mendy? Probably not.
“It is very difficult in a short space of time, when (the bid) came out of the blue for us to replace, which does not help Mendy. I am sure it might be revisited in the summer. I spoke to Derek McInnes for quite a while yesterday. He is a fantastic individual doing unbelievably well. I am sure it is not the last we have heard of it.
Laurent Mendy at Forest Green Rovers assessed
“Every minute I’ve worked with him, he’s brilliant. He’s a brilliant player and that’s why Hearts made an offer, but it didn’t meet our valuation or the club’s valuation. I think now Hearts have moved on. He is a player who has attracted attention because of his performances. There is no doubt about it because he has seamlessly taken the step up to easily be one of the best players in the National League this year. I am sure now there will be other teams looking at our captain.
“As we know, lots of our players have been linked with other clubs because of the way we play, how good we are and their individual performances.. I am sure the lure of Hearts, top of the Scottish Premiership, playing Celtic at the weekend, must have been a really attractive pull for a player who is going on 29.
“I am not naïve enough to think that any player in his situation would not have been tempted by that. You have to ask Mendy if he wanted to leave. That would be down to him. I cannot speak for Mendy, but I would suggest that a team like Hearts with the possibility of winning the league and getting into the Champions League would have been an unbelievable opportunity for an unbelievable player. I understand both sides. The club will have a valuation of the player.”