Man City's Mendy charged with four counts of rape, suspended by club

June 02, 2017 shows France's defender Benjamin Mendy eyeing the ball during the friendly football match France versus Paraguay on June 2, 2017 [AFP]

Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy was charged by the Cheshire Constabulary with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault on Thursday, with the Premier League club suspending the Frenchman pending an investigation.

The police added Mendy, 27, has been remanded in custody and is set to appear at Chester Magistrates' Court on Friday.

"The charges relate to three complainants over the age of 16 and are alleged to have taken place between October 2020 and August 2021," Cheshire Constabulary said in a statement .

City said in a statement they would not be making any further comment as the matter was subject to a legal process.

March 8, 2020 Manchester City's Benjamin Mendy in action with Manchester United's Scott McTominay REUTERS

Mendy, who has played for France 10 times and won the World Cup in 2018, was signed by City from AS Moncao in 2017 for a fee in the region of 52 million pounds ($71.32 million).

He has won the Premier League three times with City although injuries have limited his playing time, with the left back undergoing knee surgery in the 2018-19 season.