Darwin Nunez: Liverpool have €100m transfer bid accepted by Benfica

Jacque Talbot

Updated: 23 May 2023 08:46 CDT
3 min read

Darwin Nunez, Benfica, 2021/22 — © ProShots

Liverpool have had a formal €100 million transfer bid for striker Darwin Nunez accepted by Benfica, FootballTransfers can reveal.

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The Reds will pay €80 million up front with a potential €20m following in performance-related bonuses.

This should mean a swift conclusion to the transfer saga, with FootballTransfers having exclusively revealed on 8 June that terms between Nunez and club had already been agreed. He will sign a five-year contract with the Reds, which should see him earn above €250,000 per week.

It will be considered a huge coup for the Anfield club given the competition that they faced in the race to sign the Uruguay international forward, who previously turned out for Penarol and Almeria before making a switch to Portugal in 2020 for just €24 million.

Many of Europe’s leading clubs were keeping close tabs on the striker, with Manchester United among those who will be left disappointing by Liverpool’s signing of Nunez.

Real Madrid were also interested in the 22-year-old, but the hitman, who scored 34 goals in 41 outings for Benfica last season, only ever had eyes for a transfer to the Premier League. It soon materialised that he had set his heart on a move to the Anfield club.

Liverpool evolution continues

Nunez’s arrival at Liverpool is the latest stage in the evolution of the club’s forward line, which began in January when they signed Luis Diaz from Porto.

Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino are all out of contract in 2023, with uncertainty particularly surrounding the future of the Senegal international star, who has been closely linked with Bayern Munich. It seems inconceivable that Liverpool will keep all three given that they are now the wrong side of 30.

Nunez should arrive as Liverpool’s second major summer signing, following the transfer of Fabio Carvalho from Fulham, though the Reds are also closing in on a €4.7m deal for Aberdeen full-back Calvin Ramsay.