Man Utd Planning To Use Alex Telles In A Player-Plus-Cash Deal To Sign Bruno Fernandes’ Friend

Alex Telles has struggled to establish himself as a regular starter for Man Utd.

The Brazil international was signed to push Luke Shaw for the starting left-back spot. Such has been the Englishman’s form, that any left-back in Europe would fail to displace him from the playing XI let alone Telles.

Nevertheless, the Premier League giants would reportedly still like to add a new left-back. According to Portuguese outlet Record, highly-rated Sporting Lisbon star Nuno Mendes is seen as an ideal left-back to challenge Shaw. The fact he is a former teammate and a friend of Bruno Fernandes is seen as one of the factors driving the potential deal.

In order to bring the Portuguese prodigy – who’s also been linked to Liverpool and Man City in recent times – to Old Trafford, Man Utd are reportedly considering to use Telles as ‘a bargaining chip’. The Brazilian spent four seasons with Sporting’s domestic rivals FC Porto.

An offer of £33.9m and a season-long loan of the 28-year-old, including the English outfit covering part of his wages, could be used to convince the Portuguese league leaders.

However, the report isn’t very convincing, as irrespective of Mendes’ potential, the Red Devils are unlikely to spend extra cash on a player who’s going to most likely sit on the bench.

Nevertheless, Man Utd could look to strengthen their opposite flank. The jury’s still out on Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s attacking ability. As such, if Mendes is versatile enough to play as a right-back, his signing would make a little more sense.