Hull City have paid €25m for 87.5% of Nobel Mendy’s ownership rights, making the defender the most expensive player ever to leave Rayo Vallecano.
The Spanish club officially confirmed that Mendy had joined Hull City, with the deal overtaking the transfer of Chavarria, who had moved to Chelsea shortly beforehand.
Chelsea agreed to pay a guaranteed €21m for Chavarria, with a further €3m available in performance-related variables. That fee had briefly made Chavarria Rayo Vallecano’s record sale, but his place at the top lasted only until the deal for Mendy was completed.
The two transfers were finalised in quick succession, meaning Chavarria became the club’s most expensive outgoing player before the record was immediately broken.
Rayo Vallecano’s previous record sale was Embarba, who joined Espanyol for €10m. Mendy’s move to Hull City therefore represents a significant increase on the Spanish club’s previous benchmark.
However, Rayo Vallecano will not retain the full €25m transfer fee. Real Betis still own 20% of Mendy, and €5m of the amount received by Rayo Vallecano will be passed on to the Seville club.
Mendy made 28 appearances for Rayo Vallecano in all competitions during the 2025-26 season. The defender scored twice and did not register an assist.
His departure comes after a campaign in which he was regularly involved in Rayo Vallecano’s first-team squad, while the move to Hull City gives the English club a player whose transfer fee has now set a new record for his former side.
Rayo Vallecano’s sequence of record transfers has changed rapidly. Embarba’s €10m move to Espanyol had stood as the club’s highest-value sale until Chavarria’s switch to Chelsea took the record, only for Mendy’s transfer to Hull City to surpass it almost immediately.
Hull City have acquired 87.5% of Mendy, while the remaining financial interest reflected in the deal remains linked to Real Betis. As a result, the €25m headline figure includes an amount that will not remain entirely with Rayo Vallecano.
AF’s PC site is now live, offering full news coverage, comments, match details and statistics on computer. It is available at www.allfootballapp.com.
