Portuguese agent Jorge Mendes, who has conducted "many of the biggest transfers in European football, is serially involved in the third‑party ownership of players in apparent breach" of FIFA regulations, according to David Conn of the London GUARDIAN. Mendes, who brokered the year's "biggest deals," including Ángel di María's £59.7M ($97.6M) move to ManU and Diego Costa's £32M ($52M) purchase by Chelsea, was "seeking to attract" £67M ($110M) from "undeclared investors via offshore companies to buy stakes in players at clubs in Spain and Portugal." An investigation also showed that Mendes and former ManU and Chelsea CEO Peter Kenyon advise five Jersey-based funds on more than £100M ($164M) to be invested in buying "economic rights" in players. Mendes admitted that he has a "conflict of interest, because he acts as the agent to players whose economic rights have been bought by the funds he advises; this appears to contravene" FIFA regulations on agents. It is, however, "unquestionably true" that Mendes, as well as "acting as an
agent for these and many other players, and being paid by clubs as a
transfer 'intermediary,' is serially involved" with Kenyon in advising on the "third-party ownership of economic rights in players" (GUARDIAN, 9/22).