Benfica coach Nelson Verissimo is hoping for a fee in the region of £100 million for Darwin Nunez with Premier League trio Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal keen on the star striker, speaking via the MEN.
If you were wondering what all the fuss was about, then wonder no more.
Last week’s Champions League quarter-final between Liverpool and Benfica at the Estadio da Luz might have been the first time many of you saw Nunez in action. The first, maybe, but certainly not the last.
Not only did the Uruguay international score Benfica’s only goal in a 3-1 defeat – slotting home in style after an Ibrahima Konate blunder – he also caused Liverpool’s usually-serene defence no end of problems with his fearsome physique and relentless movement.
Even the unruffable Virgil van Dijk looked about as comfortable as a razorblade in a retina up against one of Europe’s most in-form number nines.
Which club will Darwin Nunez join?
“What do you think (he should cost)? Darwin is an excellent player, he has shown all his quality,” Verissimo explains of a man who took his tally to 31 goals in 36 games with a hat-trick against Belenenses on Saturday.
“He is a young player with a lot of potential. Given his growth throughout this season and his performances in the Champions League games, it is natural that he arouses the interest of the big European clubs.”
In addition to Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur are big fans of a player who Jose Mourinho turned down in favour of Carlos Vinicius two years ago (Express).
A decision that’s aged about as well as a pint of milk left out in the Mediterranean sun.
According to Record, Arsenal director Edu Gaspar has held talks with Nunez’s camp too.
And Verissimo admits that the former Almeria ace will leave the Portuguese capital sooner rather than later, albeit for a fee that could make him the most expensive player in Benfica’s history.
“(His departure) will be at the end of this season or the following season,” Verissimo adds. “Now regarding numbers, I hope as a Benfica fan that he will go for a fee close to that of Joao Felix.”
Atletico Madrid paid £113 million for Felix in the summer of 2019. And Nunez has another three years left on his contract.
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