Manchester City player Benjamin Mendy has been refused bail by a judge at a Chester Crown Court hearing.
As reported by Manchester Evening News, the 27-year-old was refused bail at a behind-closed-door hearing on Monday.
The French international has been charged with four counts of rape and one of sexual assault and has been remanded in custody since first appearing in court on August 27.
Today’s hearing that excluded members of the press and public was the third time Mendy’s legal team have applied for bail.
However, a court official later confirmed that Judge Patrick Thompson refused to grant bail.
Mendy has been charged along with another man, with the co-defendant Louis Saha Matturie also in custody.
The trial for the case is set to take place on January 24 2021 with an estimated timeframe of two and a half weeks.
Mendy signed for Manchester City from Monaco in 2017 and was part of the France squad that lifted the 2018 World Cup, making one substitute appearance in the tournament.
He has since been suspended by the club pending the outcome of the investigation.
He strenuously denies all charges.