Benfica has reached an agreement with Liverpool to sign striker Darwin Nunez for a record fee of €100m. This announcement was made by the Portuguese giants as Liverpool saw off Manchester United in the pursuit of Darwin Nunez.
The Uruguayan forward is expected to join Liverpool next season to improve their attack line. The tricky negotiation was almost halted due to interest from Manchester United that are trying to strengthen their squad ahead of the next season. But the hope of playing in the Champions League was one of the factors that made Darwin Nunez choose Liverpool over Manchester United.
Note that Manchester United won’t be participating in the next Champions League competition and have not been as impressive as Liverpool in the Premier League in recent seasons.
A statement from Benfica announcing Darwin Nunez’s transfer to Liverpool read: “Benfica informed the Securities Market Commission (CMVM) that it had reached an agreement with Liverpool for the sale of all rights to the player Darwin Nunez, for the amount of €75m. The agreement provides for the payment of a variable remuneration, so the amount of the sale could reach €100m. It is further informed that the aforementioned agreement is dependent on the signing of the player’s contract with Liverpool FC.”
Details of the deal between Liverpool and Darwin Nunez?
Darwin Nunez joined Benfica from Almeria in 2020 for €20m. Based on the agreement between the two clubs, Almeria will get 20% of any profit Benfica makes from the deal.
This means that Almeria will get at least €9m as Liverpool will pay Benfica £64 million ($79m) upfront and £21m ($26m) in add-ons.
The deal will keep Darwin Nunez at Liverpool until 2028, earning around £5m ($6.1m) per year in salary.
The 22-year-old has an impressive season during the 2021/22 campaign as he scored 34 goals in 41 games for Benfica. He’s believed to be the best replacement for Sadio Mane who is prepared to leave Liverpool.
Mane has recently announced that he won’t continue with Liverpool after an offer renewal was rejected. The Senegal captain is expected to join Bayern Munich.
However, Liverpool are yet to accept any offer from Bayern Munich. Klopp still believes that Sadio Mane will play a key role in his squad next season.
On the other hand, Mohamed Salah’s contract is expected to expire in 2023, and signing a striker like Darwin Nunez is the best thing to do.
The deal is seen as a long-term investment for Jurgen Klopp and his team. Klopp is getting ready to continue fighting with Manchester City for the Premier League title next season.
Manchester City has also completed the signing of a top striker, Erling Haaland, and Argentinian star Alvarez.
