Manchester City have been linked with a move for talented Sporting CP full-back Nuno Mendes.
According to a recent report from Calciomercato, City are in pole position to land the 18-year-old at the end of the season.
The teenager is said to have a release clause of £63 million written into his contract.
But in these financially challenging times, the current leaders of the Primeira Liga may look to accept less.
According to a report from The Telegraph, City would be prepared to sell Benjamin Mendy if the right offer came in for the Frenchman this summer.
The two-time Premier League winner has struggled throughout his Etihad career, with two serious knee injuries affecting his form. He’s also had some disciplinary issues.
Perhaps it would be in City’s interests to see whether they could facilitate a swap deal involving the two players.
Two birds, one stone
If City are open to offloading Mendy, and hold an interest in Mendes, it surely makes sense to see if Sporting would be interested in striking a deal involving the two players.
He may not have lived up to his billing, but Mendy still transferred to City for £52 million back in 2017 (BBC Sport) and has a contract until the summer of 2023 – he therefore still holds decent value.
Perhaps he can be used as a sweetener to land Mendes, who is a serious talent emerging in Portuguese football right now.
Mendy has had ample opportunity to get back on track at City and unless there’s a big improvement in the next couple of months, maybe a swap deal should be explored.
There’s a chance the 2018 World Cup winner would fancy joining Sporting – it’d be a good place for him to rebuild his career and there’s a high chance they’ll finish the current season as league champions.
