Hull City have signed the Senegal defender Nobel Mendy from Rayo Vallecano for what the newly promoted Premier League club say is a club-record transfer fee.
The fee has not been disclosed, but it is understood to exceed the reported £20m Hull paid for the Greece goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis the previous week. Mendy, 21, has signed a five-year contract, with the option of a further year. Hull's previous transfer record had stood since 2016, when they paid £13m for the Tottenham midfielder Ryan Mason.
"I am very happy to be here and very proud to be here as well," Mendy said. "I am a very athletic player, and I am a defender at heart. I also really enjoy the game and coming out from the back cleanly and aggressively when needed. "I have wanted to play in the Premier League since I was little, so it's a great challenge to face and I am ready for it."
Mendy, who has one senior cap for Senegal, arrives after his only season at Rayo Vallecano, in which he scored twice in 28 appearances. His last game for the Spanish club came in the Conference League final defeat by Crystal Palace in May. He previously played for Paris FC and Real Betis, and was part of the Betis squad that lost the same final to Chelsea in 2024-25. Mendy made his Senegal debut in a friendly against Gambia in March.