Tuesday, August 31, 2021 at 6:20 PM• Chris Meijer

Paris Saint-Germain seems to have a big hit on the final day of the transfer window. Les Parisiens are in advanced negotiations with Sporting Portugal about the arrival of Nuno Mendes, reports Fabrizio Romano, among others, RMC Sports and Goal. PSG now looks set to go for a rental deal with a mandatory option to buy, while Pablo Sarabia has to go the opposite way for a season-long loan.

Romano announced on Tuesday afternoon that Sporting is open to Mendes’ departure. The nineteen-year-old left back broke through in the first team of last season os Leões and was part of the team that crowned itself champions of Portugal for the first time in nineteen years. It resulted in Mendes – who currently has 47 games for Sporting to his name – a place in the European Championship selection of Portugal, although he did not play a minute in the tournament.

Despite a contract that runs until mid-2025, Sporting is open to letting Mendes go in the final hours of the transfer window. Initially, there was an asking price of forty million euros, an amount that the equally interested Manchester City was not willing to pay. Talks between Sporting, PSG and Mendes’ entourage have intensified in recent hours and all parties are currently moving towards an agreement. Mendes is said to have already reached a personal agreement with PSG.

RMC Sports reports that PSG and Sporting are currently heading for a rental deal with a mandatory option to buy worth €40 million. Sarabia – who was linked to Atlético Madrid earlier in the day – will also have to be rented out to the champions of Portugal next season. However, the 29-year-old Spanish winger still has to come to terms with Sporting.

Bringing in Mendes would be a fitting conclusion to PSG’s transfer window. The French superpower previously strengthened itself with Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sergio Ramos, Georginio Wijnaldum, Achraf Hakimi and Lionel Messi. The left-back position is possibly the thinnest in PSG’s selection, as coach Mauricio Pochettino has Juan Bernat and Layvin Kurzawa in that position. As they are both injured, centre-back Abdou Diallo played as left-back in the first games of this season.