Manchester United are reportedly ready to offer Alex Telles as part of a deal to secure the transfer of Nuno Mendes from Sporting Lisbon in the summer.
According to a report from Portuguese publication Record, Manchester United will offer Alex Telles in their bid to sign teenage wonderkid Nuno Mendes from Sporting Lisbon before next season.
Mendes, 18, has become one of the most sought-after young players in Europe ever since he broke into the Sporting Lisbon first-team at the backend of last season. A left-back by trade, the teenager has impressed with his attacking qualities and made his debut for the Portuguese national team during the recent international break as well.
Manchester United have been hot on the heels of Mendes, closely following his development and progress with Sporting. Along with the Red Devils, the likes of Liverpool as well as Real Madrid are also said to have a keen interest in the Portuguese international.
Manchester United, though, could act on their interest in Mendes in the upcoming transfer window, with star man Bruno Fernandes said to be urging the club to sign the teenager. The 26-year-old arrived at Old Trafford from Sporting last year and will have seen the youngster’s potential.
The Portuguese club, for their part, are willing to do business for a transfer fee of €40 million, despite Mendes signing a new contract in December last year. However, the Red Devils are working on getting that asking price down and one way they could do it is by offering Alex Telles as part of the deal to land the teenager.
Telles joined Manchester United only last summer from FC Porto. The Brazilian has done fairly well in whatever limited opportunities he has got, with Luke Shaw establishing himself as the undisputed first-choice at left-back on the back of a stellar season.
With Brandon Williams also waiting in the wings behind Shaw and Telles, signing Mendes without offloading one of the players would be far from prudent. So, Manchester United are now exploring the possibility of using Telles as part of the deal to secure the transfer of the Portuguese ace.
There could be a new addition in the right-back slot as well, with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer keen on bringing in competition for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, with Norwich City’s Max Aarons being heavily linked.
As for Manchester United’s pursuit of Mendes, it remains to be seen if the touted deal involving Telles does see the light of the day come the summer transfer window. The 18-year-old has 35 first-team appearances for Sporting thus far, in which he has one goal and two assists, and can be a huge asset for the Red Devils for years to come.