Reported Southampton and Sheffield United target ‘looks like Edinson Cavani’ and could replace Luis Suarez for Uruguay, his former coach José “Chueco” Perdomo tells Renascenca.
Defeat to Girona in the Spanish Segunda play-offs not only robbed an ambitious, big-spending Almeria side of a place in La Liga, it also surely means that one of the most promising young strikers in Europe will be flying the nest this summer.
Southampton have already made an £11 million bid for Nunez, a barrel-chested, penalty-box poacher who scored 16 goals in 32 games during an impressive debut campaign in Spain (Calciomercato).
Two more Premier League sides have also shown an interest in the shape of Sheffield United and Brighton, who potentially see Nunez as the man capable of taking them to a whole new level (La Voz).
And, not for the first time, comparisons have been drawn between the former Penarol starlet and Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time record goal-scorer.
“Physically, he looks like Cavani. Darwin works a lot for the team, just like Cavani,” says Perdomo, who believes Benfica would be an intelligent move for a 21-year-old who still has a lot to prove.
“Without wanting to belittle the club where he is, he is cut out to play in the big leagues. (Benfica) would be good for him, especially because he already knows Portuguese.
“I think Luis Suarez and Cavani can still perform at a good level. But Darwin is the successor.”
With both Suarez and Cavani now 33, Uruguay cannot rely on these old warhorses forever.
A move to the Premier League, or a Benfica side who have bought Jan Vertonghen, Luca Waldschmidt and Everton Soares in an attempt to steal their title back from Porto, could set Nunez on his way to taking over from two of the greatest strikers in South American history.
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