Portuguese media reveal details of Liverpool's deal for Darwin Nunez
Paying £68m fixed, with £17m in add-ons: Portuguese media reveal the details of Liverpool’s deal for Darwin Nunez – with negotiations ‘very advanced’ following a second bid… but Benfica still want more
- Liverpool are closing in on highly-rated Benfica striker Darwin Nunez for £85m
- Reports in Portugal say Liverpool will stump up at least £68m up front in the deal
- Nunez is essentially Liverpool’s replacement for the outgoing Sadio Mane
Liverpool’s swoop for Benfica forward Darwin Nunez comprises of a £68million fee up-front and at least £17m in add-ons, according to Portuguese media reports on Thursday morning.
It emerged Liverpool’s move for the Uruguay striker had accelerated on Wednesday, when Sportsmail reported the Reds were prepared to break their transfer record to land the forward.
He will fill the void left by Sadio Mane’s impending exit, with the Senegal striker expected to join Bayern Munich sooner than later.
Darwin Nunez’s Liverpool move will cost £85m – £68m up front and £17m more in add-ons
Portuguese media A Bola (left) and Record (right) all report the same transfer fee structure
Two Portuguese publications, O Jogo and A Bola, both report that Liverpool first offered £60m up front and £25m in bonuses, which Benfica turned down.
But they add that when Liverpool returned with the £68m figure up front, Benfica’s response has been to consider the offer. A Bola also claim that the Portuguese giants are hopeful of getting more cash out of Liverpool before parting ways with their star player.
Record, another Portuguese paper, lead their front page on Thursday with the headline ‘Jackpot Darwin’ and also report the same structure in terms of how Liverpool will pay the transfer fee.
They all say that negations are advanced and that deal could be wrapped up by the weekend for the attacker, who is expected to sign a five-year contract.
The £85m transfer would be a new record for Liverpool, eclipsing the £75m they paid for defender Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in 2017.
Nunez, who can play on the left as well as through the middle, scored six goals in the Champions League last season, two of which came in the quarter-finals against Liverpool and he made a significant impression on Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool’s manager said in April of the 22-year-old: ‘A good looking boy, huh? And a decent player as well! Really good, really good. I knew before, of course, but he played pretty much in front of me with his tough battles with Ibrahima Konate.
‘He was physically strong, quick, was calm around his finish. Good, really good. I always say in these situations if he is healthy, it’s a big career ahead of him.’
Nunez scored 34 goals for Benfica last season, including two against Liverpool in Europe
The 22-year-old was also wanted by Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Newcastle
He scored 34 goals for Benfica last season in all competitions, including his Champions League goals.
Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Newcastle were also linked with moves for Nunez this summer, but it is Klopp and Liverpool who are in the driving seat.
Mane, meanwhile, was the subject of a second bid from Bayern Munich that totalled £30million on Wednesday.
Liverpool treated it the same way as the one they received over the weekend, dismissing immediately with the feeling that the offer was derisory.
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