Birmingham, Southampton And Sheffield United ‘Are In Talks’ For Swede | OneFootball

Birmingham City, Southampton and Sheffield United are battling it out for in-demand SC Braga star Joe Mendes.

Southampton will go through a summer rebuild under Will Still and he has identified areas where the team will need to improve to push for promotion.

Right-back is a position where the Saints are eyeing to improve and they are in the market to bring in a quality player.

Birmingham City are also bracing themselves for life in the Championship and they have been proactive in the window so far.

Blues have already recruited Phil Neumann, James Beadle, Tommy Doyle and Demarai Gray and now they are looking for a right-back.

Birmingham City and Southampton’s search has led them to Portugal, with Braga’s 20-year-old Mendes, a Sweden international, on their list.

They are also facing competition from Sheffield United, who missed out on promotion after their playoff defeat at the hands of Sunderland, for the signature of Mendes.

According to Swedish daily Expressen, Sheffield United, Birmingham City and Southampton ‘are in talks’ over a potential deal for Mendes.

The Championship giants are not the only ones vying for the 20-year-old’s signature, as he is the subject of interest from Bundesliga outfit Union Berlin and Turkish club Samsunspor.

Mendes joined Braga from Swedish side AIK in the winter of 2023 and spent last season on loan to Basel, where he featured 29 times for them and helped them win the league title.

The young right-back has already made an appearance for the national team and it has been suggested that he has yet to make a decision on his future.

Southampton and Sheffield United will be keen to earn promotion this season, while the Blues are also looking to go up in back-to-back promotions.

Now it remains to be seen who will be able to win the fierce battle to secure Mendes’ services this summer.