Darwin Nunez is hesitant to join Manchester United this summer as they are not in the Champions League next season and is currently weighing up his other options.
United and Liverpool are both keen to seal a deal for Benfica’s 22-year-old Uruguayan forward, who smashed 32 goals this term. His heroics included six goals in the Champions League - including in both legs of their quarter-final tie with Liverpool - and the ace wants to play in the competition again next term.
He has changed agents this summer from his Uruguayan representative Edgardo Lasalvia to link up with superagent Jorge Mendes who is lining up a blockbuster switch.
Mendes has Premier League giants United and Liverpool both keen on the striker’s signature. Benfica turned down a £30million bid from Brighton last summer and snubbed January interest from West Ham and Newcastle. But the Portuguese club are willing to now do a deal if clubs now offer at least €100m (£85.2m). Benfica even hope they could generate potentially £100m if there is a bidding war.
New United boss Erik ten Hag is keen to begin his rebuilding project with Nunez’s capture. But United are only in the Europa League next term after coming sixth in the Premier League. It has given Liverpool encouragement as they look to potentially replace Saido Mane , who is in the final year of his contract. The Reds’ current transfer record is the £75m they paid Southampton for Virgil van Dijk in January 2018 but they like Nunez’s style and ability to play out wide and through the middle.
If Nunez arrives at Anfield this summer, then boss Jurgen Klopp could also potentially revert from his customary 4-3-3 formation to 4-2-3-1, which he used regularly while at Borussia Dortmund. Nunez is under contract at Benfica until 2025 after joining in 2020 from Almeria. He has two goals in 10 caps for his country after making his debut in 2019.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Who will Nunez join? Let us know in the comments section
Mirror Sport columnist Stan Collymore, meanwhile, has claimed it is a "no brainer" for Nunez if it comes to a straight choice between Liverpool and United. Collymore said: “Darwin Nunez scores goals and creates bother for defenders, so I’m very excited that Liverpool are in for him as well as Manchester United. Liverpool have to make the odd marquee signing as well to fire shots across the bows of the other big clubs in the Premier League, and signing Nunez for £68m would be one of those.
“You’re starting to get into Virgil van Dijk price-tag territory, near-club-record money, and I’m delighted to hear Liverpool saying, ‘We’re prepared to go marquee when we need to and when we want to’. Going for a player such as Nunez tells United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Co that Liverpool are in it to win it now even more than they have been in the Jurgen Klopp era. People thought he would be a shoo-in for United but that’s not the case and it would be the sort of signing I called for just a few weeks ago.
“And if it’s a choice between Liverpool and United at the moment then it’s a no-brainer to go to Liverpool. At one club, he’d be in with a chance of winning trophies immediately, whereas going to the other would be a punt. Let’s say he did think about going to United. I mean, there are no guarantees that, under Erik ten Hag, the Ajax school will be transferable. Certainly not with the febrile, bubbling pressure the supporter base is putting on the players and the Glazers.”
