Arsenal have declared their intention in signing 18-year-old defender Nuno Mendes from Sporting Lisbon, according to reports in Portuguese outlet O Jogo.
Mendes had a breakout year at Sporting last season as he made his league debut and went on to play nine games in total. The youngster who plays at centre-back has attracted interest from across Europe.
The report from O Jogo states that the North London club have expressed their interest in signing the young defender. However, Arsenal will have to fend off competition from Italian giants AC Milan as they are also keenly tracking the player.
Mirror are further claiming that Milan launched a £13.5m bid for the youngster including a percentage of sell-on fee. However the Portuguese club are looking for more which will prove to be an obstacle for the Emirates club. The player has recently signed a new contract that will run through 2025, which has a £40.5m release clause.
talkSPORT have claimed that Mikel Arteta is keen on bringing Mendes to act as a backup to Kieran Tierney, with Sead Kolasinac expected to leave London and head back to Schalke. Mirror also claim that
If Kolasinac were to leave, Arsenal will have to get some one in considering the fact that although Bukayo Saka has played there in the past, his talents are best suited further up the pitch as witnessed last season. He can play in a variety of positions and offers Mikel Arteta a lot of options.
And as for Mendes, having a player like Tierney ahead of him can help him become a better full-back. The Scot who is Arsenal’s first choice left back at the moment has been a revelation since he joined and has been Arteta’s first choice, which makes sense for someone like Kolasinac to look elsewhere for more playing time.
Mendes is a player who has already been called up to the U-19 Portugal team which is an indicator of his quality. The games will come thick and fast once the season starts, so Arsenal will need to have adequate depth in the squad.
We will know more about this deal once the situation with Kolasinac is sorted out. What did you think of the transfer window so far?
