As the opening of the summer transfer window approaches, Tottenham have already been linked with players from across the world. Spurs finished their season on a high and ended the 2021/22 campaign in fourth place.
This secured Tottenham's place in the Champions League for next season and meant that their north London rivals Arsenal missed out on a place in the top European competition. This was all helped by Antonio Conte's arrival in November, the influence he had on the Spurs squad and the impact of Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur, after they made the move to N17 in January.
Due to the Lilywhites securing their Champions League spot, it is likely to give them a boost when targeting potential players to bring to north London and an advantage they have over Arsenal. This could work in their favour when the rivals are battling to get the same player, which could be the case with Darwin Nunez.
READ MORE: Darwin Nunez transfer: Chelsea update, Arsenal ‘meeting held’ and Liverpool hint
Nunez has been linked with a move to the Gunners for some time, with interest also coming from Chelsea and Manchester United. Just last month, Jurgen Klopp was full of praise for the 22-year-old after the Uruguayan's Benfica side drew 3-3 at Anfield, in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final.
"Extremely good-looking boy and a decent player as well. Really good, really good, I have to say," the Liverpool boss admitted. "I knew him before, of course, but he played pretty much in front of me with these tough battles with Ibou Konate. Physically strong, quick, was calm around his finish when he finished the goal off. Good, really good. Obviously how you say in these situations, if he stays healthy, it’s a big career ahead of him."
This praise is something that has been echoed by Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk, who also made a comparison between Nunez and Man City's newest signing, Erling Haaland. "There are some different types of strikers that we face that are doing very, very well in the name of Haaland and also Darwin [Nunez], it’s very similar, very direct, quick, tall, strong and it’s quite difficult to play against them," the defender admitted when speaking to Rio Ferdinand about his toughest opponents.
The 22-year-old made four more league appearances than Haaland this season and also scored four more goals than the Norwegian, albeit in different leagues and Nunez registered half the amount of assists (four) than the 21-year-old. Both players have shown their quality at such a young age, which has attracted clubs all over the world.
Former Benfica boss, Jorge Jesus, said last year: "There is a lot about the game that he does not know yet." This is why the centre-forward could slot right into Conte's side.
The Italian has improved a number of the Tottenham players in just a short time, highlighting his influence and why he is such a top manager. This could be just what a player like Nunez needs, to help him reach his full potential.
Spurs have lacked a backup striker for Harry Kane and need someone that can step-in when needed. The Lilywhites' main struggle with this, is finding someone who would happily make the move to N17, knowing they will be second choice to the England captain.
However, with European games on top of the busy fixture schedule Tottenham already have, there is likely to be rotation in the starting XI next season. Spurs would also have to be prepared to pay a chunk of money for Nunez, with football.london reporting last month that he could cost upwards of £62million but if the 22-year-old is someone Conte can see strengthening his side, then it could be worth the money.
