Liverpool confirm £85m Darwin Nunez transfer from Benfica

Liverpool have signed Darwin Nunez from Benfica in a deal which could end up costing €100 million (£85.4m).

Anfield boss Jurgen Klopp made Nunez, 22, one of his top targets for this summer’s transfer window.

Nunez, who has agreed a six-year contract with Liverpool, enjoyed a breakthrough season for Portuguese side Benfica, scoring 34 goals in 41 appearances and impressing in the Champions League.

Manchester United also expressed interest in signing the 22-year-old but Liverpool have won the race, securing his services in a deal worth €100m (£85.4m).

In a statement released on Monday, Benfica have confirmed that Liverpool will pay €75m (£64.08m) up front plus a further €25m (£21.3m) in add-ons.

Nunez could therefore become Liverpool’s most expensive signing, with his deal potentially exceeding the £75m paid to Southampton for Netherlands defender Virgil van Dijk.

Nunez came through the academy of Uruguayan club Penarol and joined Spanish side Almeria in August 2019.

He spent just one season in the Segunda Division, scoring 16 goals in 32 games, before Benfica secured his signature in a then-club-record deal worth €24.

Nunez thrived in Portugal, winning the Bola de Prata for the Primeira Liga’s top goal-scorer with 26 goals in 28 games.

It was his form during the 2021-22 campaign that saw Nunez emerge as one of the most sought-after players in Europe, with Liverpool joined by the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid in the transfer battle.

The prospect of playing for a club challenging for both domestic and European titles and the lure of playing under Jurgen Klopp appears to have convinced Nunez that his future lies at Anfield.

An athletic forward with a number of impressive characteristics and an elite mentality, Nunez looks