Fernandes ‘pushing Man Utd’ to seal move which would be bad news for Telles

Bruno Fernandes is reportedly ‘pushing’ Manchester United to sign Sporting wonderkid Nuno Mendes this summer.

Mendes is one of the most highly-rated young backs in European football, with a €70million release clause in his current contract.

Portuguese news outlet Record (via Sport Witness) report that United hold an interest in signing the 18-year-old.

The report claims a representative from Old Trafford has offered Alex Telles to Sporting as a potential makeweight in any move for Mendes.

Despite his hefty release clause, it is believed the Portuguse giants would do a deal in the region of €40m, provided Telles is included as part of the deal.

The Brazilian only signed for United last summer, but has found opportunities hard to come by, making just six Premier League starts all season.

That has mainly been down to the return to form of Luke Shaw, who has been one of the standout players in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad.

However, Telles has shown no signs of frustration and instead has spoken of his happiness at his colleague’s impressive performances.

“I’ve always said that, when you’ve got players of the highest quality in the team, then the thing that ends up benefiting is Manchester United; the team,” Telles told the club’s website.

“Since I’ve arrived here, I’ve worked as hard as I can and I’ve done everything I can to show that I deserve to be here. I think I’ve done that.

“At the same time, I’m really happy for Luke Shaw, who has made great progress and has been playing really well. He trains really well and he’s done excellently in the matches as well.”

Record go on to suggest that Fernandes is desperate to link up with Mendes and is making a case to his current employers.

Both players share the same agent and have a close personal relationship off the pitch.

Similarly, the Man United talisman has developed a strong bond with Telles, after spending years as rivals in Portugal’s top-flight.

Telles admitted that he had previously found the midfielder ‘annoying’, but now found it a pleasure to play alongside him.

“Me and Bruno have known each other for a while now,” said Telles, back in December.

“Bruno has always stood out wherever he played and he’s undoubtedly our main player here today.

“We were rivals on the pitch and today we’re team-mates playing in the same team.

“I’ve said to him that at the time he was quite annoying to play against on the pitch, always wanting to win, obviously.

“He’s a guy with a massive heart and immense quality, it’s there for everybody to see and I don’t need to talk any more about Bruno’s quality. It’s a pleasure to play with him.

“He’s a great guy who is always willing to help everybody and he really makes a difference and that’s great.”

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