Cagliari have tied Senegalese forward Paul Mendy to a new contract that keeps the 19-year-old at the club until 30 June 2032.
The Serie A side announced the agreement on Thursday, 29 October. The deal adds an extra year to Mendy’s previous terms and rewards his progress over the 20 months since he moved to Sardinia from Senegalese club ASC Bambey.
Mendy was born in Rufisque, Senegal, on 13 January 2007. He first joined Cagliari as a youth player when the club announced his signing from ASC Bambey on 4 February 2025. At the time, Cagliari described him as a fast, strong, left-footed central forward. His initial contract ran until 2027 and included a club option for two further years. He then signed a contract extension until June 2031 on 5 March 2026, before agreeing to this latest renewal.
Scoring run in the Cagliari youth ranks
Mendy started his Cagliari career with the Under-18 team, where he scored three goals in eight appearances. He stepped up to the Under-20 squad the next season and quickly became a regular threat in attack.
His first two-goal game for the Under-20s came against Sassuolo on 21 September. Between December and January, he scored in four straight matches against Fiorentina, Frosinone, Parma and Roma. He followed that run with two more goals against Genoa on 1 February.
When Cagliari confirmed his March 2026 contract extension, the club stated that he had recorded 12 goals and three assists across 25 Under-20 appearances. Mendy added four goals and two assists during the closing games of that campaign.
He also played a decisive role in the Primavera 1 relegation play-out final, recording one goal and two assists in a 3-0 win in Naples that kept Cagliari’s Under-20 side in the division.
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Breakthrough into the Serie A first team
Mendy’s form in the youth setup earned him a call-up to head coach Fabio Pisacane’s senior squad. He made his Serie A debut off the bench against Napoli on 20 March 2026.
Just over a month later, on 27 April 2026, Mendy made his first senior start against Atalanta. He scored two goals in eight minutes to help Cagliari earn a 3-2 win at the Unipol Domus. Those strikes were his first goals in Serie A and his first as a professional, marking a major step in his move from the youth team to the senior squad.
Mendy has remained a regular part of the first team during the 2026/27 season. In their October contract announcement, Cagliari stated that he had played in all nine of the team’s league matches so far. During that run, he scored in a 1-2 away win against Atalanta and set up Daniel Maldini’s goal in a 1-1 draw with Juventus. He also scored against Hellas Verona in the Coppa Italia.
Smart scouting and room for growth
Mendy’s development reflects Cagliari’s efforts to recruit young players from outside Europe’s established academies. According to a 29 April 2026 report by Italian news agency ANSA, Roberto Muzzi was among those who backed the forward after his arrival, while several youth staff members helped guide his development.
In that April report, ANSA stated that Cagliari signed Mendy from ASC Bambey for a €10,000 transfer fee and agreed to give the Senegalese club a 5% share of any future sale. Cagliari have not confirmed those financial figures in their official announcements.
In their latest statement, Cagliari described Mendy as a modern centre-forward with strength, athleticism, technique and sharp movement. The club noted that he can lead the front line, link play with teammates, run into space behind defenders and carry the ball forward. Cagliari also pointed to his high work rate and the room he still has to improve.
At 19, Mendy is still near the beginning of his professional career, and this new agreement gives the Sardinian club more time to work with a player who has quickly established himself in a Serie A squad.
