Back in the summer, a trio of Premier League clubs in Southampton, Sheffield United and Brighton were interested in signing Uruguayan forward Darwin Núñez.
La Voz de Almeria cited the Blades’ interest in the striker, while it was Italian outlet Calciomercato who claimed that Ralph Hasenhuttl and Graham Potter’s sides were keen.
After last night’s round of Europa League matches, the Premier League trio should be kicking themselves that they didn’t get a deal over the line.
Portuguese giants Benfica were the club to eventually take Núñez away from Almeria for a fee of €24 million (£21.8 million) according to Goal.
The striker has been likened to Manchester United forward Edinson Cavani by former Napoli player Mariano Bogliacino, who told Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli: ‘He is a fast forward, very strong. He has physical strength and instinct, like Cavani. He knows how to play in the penalty area.’
Against Lech Poznan on Thursday evening, Núñez looked every bit as good as the former Paris Saint-Germain striker in his prime.
He managed to net a hat-trick in a 4-2 win over the Polish giants, but that wasn’t all.
SofaScore shows that the 21-year-old marksman completed four of his attempted six dribbles, while also showing his creative side with three key passes.
Núñez also won six ground duels from an attempted 11, and completed 80% of his 20 passes with 16 of them coming off successfully.
It was a fantastic all-round display from the striker, who looks to have bundles of potential.
In Southampton, Sheffield United and Brighton’s case, let’s just hope the Premier League trio don’t find out about his exquisite display.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
