---
title: "Jurgen Klopp Wants Board To Pay £40m Nuno Mendes Release Clause"
canonical: "https://readliverpoolfc.com/news/klopp-wants-nuno-mendes-at-liverpool/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Dan Clubbe"
section: "Liverpool News"
published: "2020-12-03T20:00:28Z"
modified: "2026-09-22T13:48:12Z"
---

# Jurgen Klopp Wants Board To Pay £40m Nuno Mendes Release Clause

[Liverpool](https://readliverpoolfc.com/2020/12/03/liverpool-fans-go-crazy-over-harvey-elliott-wonder-goal/) manager [Jurgen Klopp](https://readliverpoolfc.com/2020/12/02/jurgen-klopp-admits-he-has-no-words-for-gini-wijnaldum/) has reportedly singled out Sporting Lisbon left-back Nuno Mendes as a player he wants at the club, according to Spanish outlet [Don Balon](https://www.donbalon.com/futbol/premier-league/jurgen-klopp-le-quita-al-real-madrid-una-de-sus-prioridades-para-enero).

The 18-year-old has a £40m release clause and the report claims Klopp has asked the Reds hierarchy to make the money available after [holding a long-time interest](https://www.football365.com/news/liverpool-45m-asking-price-nuno-mendes-sporting-lisbon-transfer).

Fellow Premier League club Leicester City are also [linked](https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/leicester-city/transfer-talk/news/leicester-join-race-for-nuno-mendes_422646.html) with the Portuguese teenager – who made his [league debut last season](https://www.sofascore.com/player/nuno-mendes/989768) – but the German wants to ‘get ahead’ in the race to sign the player.

Mendes has made [19 first team appearances as well as winning four Portugal under-21 caps](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/nuno-mendes/leistungsdaten/spieler/616341/plus/0?saison=ges), all before his 19th birthday.

Often used as a left midfielder at Sporting, [Mendes has all the attributes](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/article/youngsters-turned-sporting-cp-around-tactical-analysis-tactics#:~:text=With%20Nuno%20Mendes%20playing%20as,or%20passes%20to%20finishing%20areas.) Klopp likes in a full-back – including an ability to [deliver accurate crosses](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/395221/Show/Nuno-Mendes), something that Liverpool incumbent [Andy Robertson does better](https://www.premierleague.com/players/10458/Andrew-Robertson/stats) than most in the world.

Perhaps the most staggering claim from the report comes surrounding Greek international Kostas Tsimikas, who[arrived as Robertson’s deputy from Olympiacos](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11669/12046303/liverpool-sign-kostas-tsimikas-from-olympiakos-for-11-75m) in August but has [struggled](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/konstantinos-tsimikas/leistungsdaten/spieler/338070) with a combination of injury and lack of opportunities so far.

### READ LIVERPOOL VERDICT

Whilst the age of Mendes and his regular first team action make the deal an attractive one for Klopp, the money involved, combined with the [trusting manager](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jun/26/trust-patience-and-hard-work-how-jurgen-klopp-transformed-liverpool) having to already give up hope on Tsimikas, doesn’t add up.

When[Robertson first arrived from Hull City](https://footballwhispers.com/blog/andrew-robertson-offer-liverpool/) it took a while for him to [become a first team regular](https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/klopps-patience-key-andy-robertson-14164148) at Anfield. Although Tsimikas may only ever remain an understudy who plays in cup competitions, the likelihood of the Reds shelling out upwards of £50m across a season solely on left-backs seems highly unlikely.