Jorge Mendes represents David de Gea, who is a Real Madrid target
- Mendes also takes care of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho
- Mendes has been involved in deals for Angel di Maria and Sergio Aguero
David de Gea expressed ‘love’ for his team-mates on Tuesday night after collecting the Sir Matt Busby award for Manchester United’s Player of the Year for a second year running and the Players’ Player of they Year gong.
But the goalkeeper appears bound for Real Madrid with United already lining up Chelsea’s Petr Cech and Dutch keeper Jaspe Cillessen as possible replacements for the Spaniard.
Manager Louis Van Gaal would like De Gea to stay, repeatedly affirming his admiration, but that is unlikely to change his mind. Not when the most powerful man in football is pulling the strings.
David de Gea (centre) with Louis van Gaal (left) after winning the Sir Matt Busby award on Tuesday night
David de Gea and Juan Mata posed for this selfie together in a photo posted on Manchester United's Twitter
Van Gaal was full of praise for De Gea and wants him to reject Real Madrid and stay at Old Trafford
De Gea’s representative in the boardroom is super-agent Jorge Mendes, who has brokered some of the biggest deals in world football over the last decade.
Mendes has risen from Porto nightclub owner and friend of the footballers to the most influential agent in the Premier League and across Europe, acting for countrymen Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho, among scores of high profile clients.
Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said Mendes is the ‘best agent I dealt with, without a doubt,’ and Ronaldo said he is a ‘fair and honest man.’ But there are also those who claim that he has been involved in third‑party ownership of players, a breach of FIFA regulations.
What nobody can dispute is the fortunes he is commanding for his clients. Over just two months last summer Mendes brokered permanent transfer deals worth £208.5m.
Here Sportsmail looks at his 20 biggest transfers of recent years:
Jorge Mendes (left) represents Cristiano Ronaldo among a string of other high profile players and managers
Mendes and client Radamel Falcao (right) watch Monaco play Lille in August last year
Cristiano Ronaldo, Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United £12m, 2003
This was Mendes’s first dealings with Sir Alex Ferguson, who grew to trust him, calling him the ‘best agent I dealt with, without a doubt.’ Ferguson later signed other Mendes clients including Nani, Anderson and Bebe.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Sir Alex Ferguson celebrate winning the Champions League with Man United in 2008
Paulo Ferriera, Porto to Chelsea, £13.2m, 2004
The Portuguese had been signed by countryman Jose Mourinho at Porto, where he was manager at the time in 2002. When Mourinho moved to Stamford Bridge, Ferriera soon followed and won three Premier League titles with the Blues before announcing his retirement while still at the club nine years later.
Paulo Ferriera (left) was signed by Jose Mourinho at Porto and then followed him to Chelsea in 2004
Ricardo Carvalho, Porto to Chelsea, £20m, 2004
Another loyal follower of Mourinho, Carvalho endeared himself to Chelsea fans by partnering stalwart John Terry and winning back-to-back Premier League titles in his first two seasons at the club. Mendes then helped to move him on to join other clients of his at Real Madrid.
Ricardo Carvalho also followed Mourinho from Porto to Stamford Bridge in 2004
Nani, Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United, £22.4m, 2007
The winger followed the same path Cristiano Ronaldo had tread four years earlier but to limited success. Despite winning the Champions’ League in his first season at Old Trafford, he was often a supporting actor in Sir Alex Ferguson’s cast and was consequently farmed back out to Sporting on loan last summer.
Nani, like Ronaldo before him, left Portugal and Sporting Lisbon to move to Man United
Anderson, Porto to Manchester United, £23m, 2007
Anderson, then 19-years-old, was one of the highest rated teenagers in Europe and that was reflected in his transfer fee. He had a bright start to life in Manchester, but has flopped since and was sold by United earlier this summer.
Anderson struggled to live up to his promise at Man United after signing from Porto from £23m
Pepe, Porto to Real Madrid, £24m, 2007
Just one in a long line of moves Mendes has engineered for his clients away from his home club Porto to pastures new. Pepe has won two La Liga titles and a Champions League with Real and is in talks for over new deal.
Pepe (left, with fellow Mendes client Ronaldo) during Real Madrid training earlier this season
Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United to Real Madrid, £80m, 2009
Mendes earned over £5m from his cut of this deal, at the time the biggest in world football. Ronaldo still has three years left on his contract at Real but has not ruled out a return to the Premier League, probably to Manchester United. Mendes could get another big payday from Ronaldo yet.
Ronaldo moved from Man United to Real Madrid for a then world record transfer of £80m
Angel di Maria, Benfica to Real Madrid, £21m, 2010
Mendes moved Di Maria, then 22, to join Ronaldo at the Bernabeu on a five-year contract. He won La Liga and Champions League titles with Real before moving to Manchester United.
Angel di Maria was only 22 when he swapped Benfica for Real Madrid and signed a five-year deal
Jose Mourinho, Inter Milan to Real Madrid, £10.6m, 2010
Mourinho had just won the Champions League with Inter Milan and was the most sought after manager in world football but had his heart set on a move to Real Madrid and Mendes made it happen. Mourinho said he wanted to become the first man to win the Champions League with three different clubs, but the search continues.
Mourinho won the Champions League with Inter Milan before moving to Real Madrid in 2010
Radamel Falcao, Porto to Atletico Madrid, £32m, 2011
This was the first of three eye wateringly costly moves the Colombian made in the same number of years. He was worth the money for Atletico, scoring 70 goals in 91 appearances and steering them to a Europa League and Copa del Rey title.
Falcao scored 70 goals for Atletico Madrid after moving to the Spanish club for £32m in 2011
Sergio Aguero, Atletico Madrid to Manchester City, £38m, 2011
There was a rush of clubs trying to sign Aguero after he announced his intention to leave after five years in Madrid, but City made him the most expensive signing in the club’s history. He has been a runaway success and his goals played a major part in City’s two Premier League titles since he joined.
Sergio Aguero (centre) has been a major part of Man City's success since signing for the club in 2011
James Rodriguez, Porto to Monaco, £38.5m, 2013
Rodriguez had helped Porto win three league titles in a row and was still only 21-years-old, ensuring a big money move. He signed a five-year contract but left after just 12 months to join Real Madrid.
James Rodriguez spent just one season at Monaco after impressing at the World Cup in Brazil in 2014
Joao Moutinho, Porto to Monaco, £22m, 2013
Moutinho joined Rodriguez, with whom he had formed a prosperous midfield pairing at Porto, in Monaco. He was 26-years-old and an established Portugal international who interested both Manchester United and Spurs but opted for a mega money deal at Monaco.
Joao Moutinho (right, in action against Juventus) rejected Premier League clubs to sign for Monaco
Jose Mourinho, Real Madrid to Chelsea, £12.8m annual salary, 2013
Mendes ensured Mourinho became the highest paid manager in world football, far ahead of Pep Guardiola, when he rejoined Chelsea. He has delivered on his promise of a Premier League title this season.
Mourinho returned to Chelsea in 2013 and won his third Premier League title earlier this month
Radamel Falcao, Atletico Madrid to Monaco, £48.8m. 2013
This was a record deal for Ligue 1, France’s top tier with striker Falcao reportedly receiving a £10m a year salary after tax. He scored in his debut game but had a mixed first season before a knee injury ruled him out of the World Cup. Monaco are now trying to offload him.
Falcao had a mixed time at Monaco before suffering a knee injury which ruled him out of the World Cup
Diego Costa, Atletico Madrid to Chelsea, £32m, 2014
Mendes dealt with the club of his own client Jose Mourinho in engineering this deal last summer with Mourinho stating he wanted a ‘killer striker.’ Costa has turned out to be just that, scoring 18 Premier League goals and winning the title in his first season.
Chelsea striker Diego Costa made his first appearance for Chelsea since the beginning of April on Monday
James Rodriguez, Monaco to Real Madrid, £68m, 2014
Mendes made the most of the Colombian while his stock was high after a superb sequence of performances at the World Cup in Brazil. Rodriguez has enjoyed a brilliant debut season, securing a place in the starting 11, aside from the two months out with a broken foot.
Rodriguez has impressed Real Madrid fans since his big money move from Monaco after the World Cup
Eliaquim Mangala, Porto to Manchester City, £32m, 2014
There are believed to have been two third-party investment companies involved with this deal so it is not clear how much Mendes and his company Gestifute earned from it.
Eliaquim Mangala (left) cost Manuel Pellegrini's side £32million but has failed to live up to the price
Angel di Maria, Real Madrid to Manchester United, £59.7m, 2014
After a nightmare season under David Moyes, United were willing to pay a British record transfer fee to bring the Argentine to Old Trafford. But he has failed to assimilate and they could look to offload him this summer.
Di Maria is shown a red card by referee Michael Oliver during Man United's 2-1 FA Cup defeat by Arsenal
Radamel Falcao, Monaco to Manchester United, £6.7m loan fee plus £200,000 wages
This was a spectacular deal on transfer deadline day as United grew desperate for a marquee signing. Falcao tweeted soon afterwards to thank Mendes for ‘making this happen.’ But he is unlikely to receive any thanks from United fans who have grown frustrated with the ineffectual Colombian, who has scored just four goals in 26 games.
Colombian striker Falcao has endured a terrible season at Old Trafford, scoring just four goals
