Manchester City have emerged as a potential candidate to sign Nuno Mendes, with Sporting CP ready to offload him on deadline day.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has offered an update on the situation of Nuno Mendes. It appears Sporting CP are finally giving up on the young defender and are ready to cash in on him for a fee of €40 million. The player’s agent Miguel Pinho has sounded out Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain over a potential late swoop.
A product of the Sporting youth academy that has produced Cristiano Ronaldo, Mendes has established himself as one of the most talented young footballers in Europe with his performances over the past 12 months. The youngster enjoyed a breakthrough campaign last term, with 29 appearances, helping his club seal the Primeira Liga title undefeated.
His impressive 2020/21 campaign saw him being linked with a move to Etihad throughout the summer. But Sporting were largely intent on keeping hold of him as they look to retain their league title. But owing to the financial difficulties caused by the pandemic, they have now softened their stance and are prepared to offload him for €40 million on deadline day.
It will be difficult for his agent to find a new club on such short notice. However, approaching Manchester City might be a smart decision as the English champions are heading into the new season without a recognised left-back after Benjamin Mendy was suspended by the club.
Other options like Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko are not fully-fledged left-backs, so Pep Guardiola could certainly be open to the idea of signing Nuno Mendes. The youngster’s technical prowess, pace and ability to bomb forward could be useful traits for the Catalan mastermind as he seeks to retain the Premier League title with Man City.
However, along with the Citizens, Paris Saint-Germain have also been approached for a deal to sign Mendes. And much like the English champions, Les Parisiens also lack quality in the left-back slot. Judging by their activity in the summer transfer window so far, the French giants might not have any difficulties funding €40 million for Mendes either.
As for Man City, they have had a frustrating window, missing out on top targets like Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi and most recently, Cristiano Ronaldo, who has instead opted to return to his old club Manchester United this summer.
With just a few hours remaining until the transfer market comes to a close, it will be interesting to see whether Guardiola makes any late move today.