In a summer that saw Paris Saint-Germain land Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, and Georginio Wijnaldum, the best signing could be a teenager. Nuno Mendes is beginning to earn praise as one of the better young players at his position.
This week, the CIES Football Observatory published a new study estimating the value of players who are not yet 23 and who made their debut in one of the five major European leagues (England, Germany, Spain, Italy, and France) this season.
Mendes is fourth in the estimated values, with only Joško Gvardiol, Gavi, and Dominik Szoboszlai. The 19-year-old is worth, by CIES’ metrics, €53-million, which is more than what PSG will need to pay.
Top estimated transfer values as per @CIES_Football algorithm 📊 for U2⃣3⃣ big-5 league rookies 🌱 #JoškoGvardiol 🇭🇷 ahead of @RBLeipzig teammate #DominikSzoboszlai 🇭🇺 & @FCBarcelona's #PabloGavi 🇪🇸 despite contract ending in 2023 🤑 Top 5⃣0⃣ 👉 https://t.co/cB6QWctZIw pic.twitter.com/SvadXArgp5
— CIES Football Obs (@CIES_Football) April 11, 2022
The capital club will pay €40-million, which is the option to buy attached to the loan deal agreement with Sporting CP. This season, Mendes has made 31 appearances while registering two assists.
At his young age, Mendes will hold the left-back position for the foreseeable future and will only get better as he’s still a teenager.
