Manchester City are 'preparing' to bid £52m for Sporting Lisbon's Nuno Mendes.
That is according to the Daily Mail who report the Blues are eager to sign the highly regarded left-back after monitoring his progress this season, although it's believed Sporting Lisbon will demand a substantial fee before considering whether to sanction an exit.
It was claimed this week that officials at the Etihad will back Pep Guardiola to sign 'unbelievable' players this summer as the Catalan looks to strengthen his side to defend the club's title next season and it's believed Mendes is high on his wish list.
The fresh details claim City have opened dialogue with Sporting in recent weeks to discuss a potential move for the 18-year-old, but sources indicate they would be reluctant to sell and will play 'hardball' in negotiations.
While the MEN understands signing a traditional centre-forward is Guardiola's priority this summer, the City boss might have dropped a hint over the club's plans in the transfer market after Friday's 4-3 win against Newcastle at St. James' Park.
"I don't know what's going to happen. Maybe we buy a striker, maybe not. We have a guy, he's [ Ferran Torres ] young. A good transfer. I can use him left, right, striker,” Guardiola told Sky Sports.
"The season is too long, we can't play just 11 players, the best striker we can buy can't play all the minutes. You have to have 15, 16, 17 top players you want, then the academy, we have two, three, four so interesting players I'm pretty sure next season will help us.”
