Luis Suarez has shared on Gerard Romero’s Twitch, via Sport, that Barcelona once turned down his advice to sign Darwin Nunez, who Liverpool are now targeting a transfer for.
Suarez spent six-years at the Camp Nou after leaving Anfield for Spain in 2014 in a £75m deal. He won every possible title with the Catalan outfit before leaving for Atletico Madrid last year. But could, it seems, have also had a big say on their potential future frontline.
The Uruguayan claims he told the Blaugrana hierarchy to target Nunez while his compatriot played for Almeria. Nunez spent one year with La Union in Spain’s’ Segunda Division before joining Benfica last summer for €24m (£20m). Now, the striker is worth much, much more.
Reports by the Daily Star claim Liverpool are trailing Manchester City in a £70m race for the transfer of Nunez. Chelsea, Man United and Bayern Munich also want the 22-year-old, but the Citizens lead as they have strong relations with Benfica.
Nunez has caught several top clubs’ attention, like Liverpool’s, having shown the potential Suarez told Barcelona about in Portugal. He scored 14 and assisted 12 during his first term and already has six goals in eight appearances this season.
Suarez is not surprised Benfica would demand around three-times the fee paid to Almeria to sell Nunez to Liverpool et al in a future transfer window, having backed him early on:
“When he was at Almeria, I said it at Barcelona. They asked me, and I said: ‘Take care of this one, he has very interesting things’. But they answered: ‘No, he’s at Almeria, he’s very young’. But instead of paying now 80, 90 or €100million, they would have paid 15 or 20.”
Should Liverpool follow Suarez’s Barcelona transfer advice with Nunez?
Barcelona may kick themselves for not following Suarez’s advice and signing Nunez before his transfer to Benfica, which has Liverpool, Man City and a host of clubs tracking his form.
The Artigas-born frontman has been sensational since day one in Lisbon, and put Barcelona to the sword last month. Nunez scored twice in a shock 3-0 win over the Catalan side in the Champions League group stage. Showing Jurgen Klopp why Benfica value him so highly.
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