Man Utd enter race for Sporting CP's Nuno Mendes

Manchester United have been linked with a move for Sporting CP teenager Nuno Mendes.

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Mendes, who's only 18, has been a revelation for Sporting this season, playing regularly at left-back on their way to winning a first Primeira Liga title in 19 years under Ruben Amorim.

His startlingly quick rise to prominence has caught a few eyes elsewhere in Europe and it was claimed last week that Pep Guardiola is a fan, and wants to bring him to Manchester City this summer.

It was later reported by The Mail that City had prepared a part-exchange offer which included wing-back Pedro Porro. The 21-year-old has impressed on loan with Sporting this season and it was claimed that City would offer Porro plus a huge £44m fee to tempt them into doing business.

The Mail soon went back on themselves, though, with their reporter Jack Gaughan saying City have denied any interest in Mendes.

That sentiment has been echoed by The Sun, who are now suggesting that rivals United have moved into pole position.

They don't give too much away on United's interest, except to say they have spoken to his agent Miguel Pinho and 'sounded him out' over the viability of a deal. Pinho is well known to United - he represents Bruno Fernandes and brokered the deal that brought him from Sporting to the Premier League 18 months ago.

Reports from Portugal in April claimed that Fernandes was actively pushing for the club to sign Mendes, and that Alex Telles could be used in a potential swap deal to keep the price down. The latter part of that equation seems unlikely, granted, given Telles' substantial salary and ties to rivals Porto.

So where does all this leave us? If City maintain an interest in Mendes then they seem to have done a good job of stifling the links that got out earlier this week. But City denying it doesn't exactly mean it's not happening - just that they don't want the press to know about it yet.

As for United, it seems unlikely that a left-back would be high on their list of priorities this summer, but it's now been claimed in Portugal and England that there is interest. Mendes is fairly versatile, and would fit their new strategy of hoovering up some of the best young talent from around the continent after the encouraging progress of Amad Diallo and Facundo Pellistri.

Sporting want his €60m (£51m) release clause met in full if they are to part with him, which is a fairly substantial chunk of either team's budget - so we'll just have to wait and see if either are prepared to go in strong.