Many eyes from around Europe would have been on one man as Benfica travelled to Anfield to take on Liverpool on Wednesday evening. That's Darwin Nunez of course, who has attracted the interest of several European clubs, including Chelsea, this season with his sensational performances for Benfica.
The 22-year-old, who is thought to be available for €70million (£58.2million) in the summer transfer window, did not let any of his interested parties down on the biggest stage. Nunez had the ball in the back of the net on three occasions at Anfield - with all of them being top finishes - but only one of them counted.
The Uruguayan's movement, physicality and speed, caused Liverpool all sorts of issues on the night as the Reds ended up progressing into the Champions League semi-finals. In fact, Nunez was a nuisance to the Liverpool back line in both legs.
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Over the course of the two legs, Nunez won 15 duels (six of them in the air), had six shots (three of them on target), created two chances and scored two goals. These are impressive numbers against a Liverpool defence that is usually so solid.
Jurgen Klopp, before the Reds' second-leg with Benfica, lauded Nunez for his talent and from what he saw of him in the first-leg last week. "I knew him before of course, but he played pretty much in front of me with tough battles with Ibou Konate. Strong, quick, looked calm with his finish.
"Good, really good. Like I say in these situations, if he stays healthy, he has a big career ahead of him."
Nunez was asked about Klopp's comments and his future at Benfica following the second-leg at Anfield. He said to TVI: "What the Liverpool coach said, as well as our coach, I take it as a compliment, but my mind is on Benfica.
"Until the season is over, I won't say anything, and I'll leave everything for this shirt. My job is to continue like this, to take advantage of this luck that is happening to me.
"Last year, I didn't play at all, but this year, I'm having an incredible season. I have to continue like this, and there is also a lot of merit from my colleagues."
According to The Athletic, Chelsea are one of three 'front-runners', alongside Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, in the race to sign the Uruguay international. Benfica will reportedly not stand in Nunez's way should he want to leave and an appropriate offer comes their way.
As mentioned above, an appropriate offer is deemed to be about £58million, which could, in time, prove to be a bargain for someone with the talent and potential of Nunez. Of course, being able to splash this sort of money out very much depends on the ownership situation at Chelsea and whether the club can get a deal done before the summer transfer window opens.
There are a few players the Blues could look to move on in the summer in order to raise some funds. Marcos Alonso, for example, continues to be linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, with Sport (via Sport Witness) saying that Barcelona are long-term admirers of the Spanish left-back.
As well as this, a report from the Telegraph recently suggested Chelsea are 'willing to listen to offers' for Timo Werner, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Ross Barkley. Werner has shown in the last two matches, scoring twice against Southampton and once against Real Madrid, that he might still have a future at the club.
Chelsea, however, may look to cash in on the German forward, who has struggled since signing from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2020. Kepa, meanwhile, may look to leave the club in order to get more first-team football.
The Spaniard is Thomas Tuchel's second-choice goalkeeper at the moment, with Edouard Mendy comfortably the number one at Stamford Bridge. Newcastle United are said to be interested in Kepa - who has also been linked with a return to Spain.
Barkley has just over 12 months remaining on his contract at Chelsea and looks almost certain to depart the club at the end of the season. The 28-year-old midfielder has played just 12 times for the Blues in all competitions this term and could look to embark on a new chapter in his career.
Like Barkley, Jorginho sees his Chelsea contract run out next summer and could be sold in the coming months. The Italy international has been strongly linked with a return to the Serie A, with his agent constantly fuelling speculation over his client's future.
If these five players' values on Transfermarkt are added up (Alonso: £13.5million, Werner: £37.8million, Kepa: £9million, Barkley: £11.7million, Jorginho: £40.5million), the total would be £112.5million, which is comfortably enough to sign Nunez. Of course, Chelsea would not receive these exact values for the sales of these players, but as a rough estimate, the Blues definitely have options to raise funds for the Benfica forward.
