Amorim suffers Man Utd transfer blow as priority target turns his back on move

Ruben Amorim has suffered a bitter blow with Nuno Mendes set to snub a move to Manchester United.

Mendes had emerged as one of United's top targets for this month's transfer window. Amorim is desperate to bring in a new left-back, with Luke Shaw injured once again and Tyrell Malacia out of favour.

At the top of his shopping list was Mendes, who previously played under him at Sporting Lisbon. Mendes helped Sporting win the Primeira Liga and Taca da Liga double in 2021 before joining PSG that summer.

While he had enjoyed a successful time in Paris up to now, this season has been more difficult for the Portugal international. He has struggled for game-time in Ligue 1, leading to suggestions he could move on this month.

But according to L’Équipe, the 21-year-old has 'closed the door' to a potential departure from the Parc des Princes. Instead, he sees himself remaining in the French capital for the foreseeable future.

His entourange now believes he could sign a new contract to firm up his committment to PSG. A deal for Mendes had been hard to negotiate for United and now appears to be dead in the water.

It is claimed that PSG boss Luis Enrique played an instrumental role in convincing Mendes to commit his future to Les Parisiens. The former Barcelona boss is said to see the left-back as a large part of his plans and has insisted he has now doubts around Mendes.

"I find him on the same line as always. It’s a question for him, not for me. I can see him doing very well," Enrique said when asked about Mendes' future on Friday. "It’s an objective that can’t be achieved over one, two or three years.

"There are limits, there are players leaving. But we’d like to have 2 players per position, even though we know that’s almost impossible. Sincerely, I think the team is in one of the best moments of the season with what I see, especially in training."

Amorim has recently played down the chances of United bringing in new recruits this month. Instead, the United boss is prioritising working with the players already in place at Old Trafford.

"I don't remember saying clearly that I want new players," Amorim said ahead of the win over Arsenal. "What I said is sometimes the profile for this system is different and the players come here with a different idea of how to play.

"I don't remember saying that so clearly that I want new players. Our idea is always to keep the best players and the players we build for this club but we know what position the club is in at the moment."