Manchester City have Oleksandr Zinchenko and Benjamin Mendy as their first and second left-backs, but the Sky Blues are on the hunt for another defender who could compete with the pair for a starting place – Nuno Mendes of Sporting.
The 19-year-old is a regular at club level, has represented Portugal on five occasions and was named in their 26-man squad for the European Championships, so his future looks bright. But Correio da Manhã and Record (h/t Sport Witness) say City’s pursuit of Mendes might be delayed until January due to his lofty asking price.
Sporting are requesting €50m for the left-back which City are unwilling to match this summer, but there may be an opportunity for a deal to go through in the winter transfer window. Any move for Mendes may depend on what Pep Guardiola does with Zinchenko and Mendy, however.
The Premier League champions aren’t short of options on the left, so an existing player may have to leave before a replacement is brought in. Mendy has struggled for playing time in the last 12 months, so might he be sacrificed?
In other news, Gabriel Jesus could stay at Man City despite reported interest