SINGAPORE – After establishing himself as one of the most influential football agents in Europe, Jorge Mendes’ next venture could take him to South-east Asia.

The Portuguese, who was in the Republic this week, told The Straits Times that he has been in discussion with Singapore tycoon Peter Lim on a new project in this region.

Mendes, 58, believes there is untapped potential, given the population of 697 million people in South-east Asia and their love for the sport.

While he did not divulge details, he said his vision was to bring coaches and academies from Europe to groom the next generation of talent, with the set-up starting from as young as Under-9s.

He added: “In the end, you are going to find top players for sure... because it’s impossible (not to) with 600 million people, it’s impossible to not find.”

He pointed to the likes of Football Association of Indonesia president Erick Thohir and Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, owner of 10-time Malaysia Super League champions Johor Darul Takzim, as possibly key figures of this project.

The latter two have met with Lim, who is also the owner of Spanish La Liga outfit Valencia.

He said: “You should start bringing people, teachers, coaches from Portugal, Spain, from Europe.

“Because instead of bringing players, the key is if you start changing your plans and if you start bringing in professional people, people who know what’s going on and what to do, it will be much better because you have to...