The front page of Portuguese newspaper A Bola today features Sporting fullback Nuno Mendes and the Lions’ ‘wait for the jackpot’.
Their story claims the Lisbon side expect the 18-year-old, who made his senior debut for the national team this week, to be their biggest sale ever.
And there’s one potential destination which is highlighted by the newspaper today, which is Manchester City.
Despite pointing out that the player has been linked to Inter Milan, Juventus, Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool, A Bola says it’s really Pep Guardiola’s side who lead the race for the fullback.
It’s said Manchester City made approaches to Sporting’s board to get to know the conditions to sign Nuno Mendes. ‘The interest from the Citizens is real’, A Bola writes.
We can’t forget what their headline is all about, which is the price the Lions will demand for the sale.
By saying Sporting believe they can make Mendes the biggest transfer in the club’s history, that means the transfer would surpass Bruno Fernandes’ move to Manchester United, which cost the Red Devils €55m.
Even though there are players in the Lions’ squad who the club believe must be held for at least one more year so they can show their full potential and become more valued, this isn’t the case of Nuno Mendes, who the club think has shown enough to be worth that much.
Whether Manchester City will really pay over €55m for an 18-year-old left-back remains to be seen.
