The waiting is over; if you’re a Liverpool supporter. Breaking reports have come in that Jürgen Klopp’s Reds have officially finalized a deal for SL Benfica’s Uruguayan striker Darwin Núñez.
Welcome to the Reds family, @Darwinn99 ??#DarwinDay pic.twitter.com/ggSyONbUJb
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) June 14, 2022
As tweeted by the club’s official social media account, Núñez is now finally a Liverpool player as the club responded to Manchester City’s confirmed move for Norwegian starlet Erling Haaland just a day after the 21-year-old completed his move to the Etihad Stadium.
Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano provided further details on the deal, said to include a six-year contract and a transfer fee up front in the region of ~£65million with further add-ons said to bump the deal up to a possible whopping ~£87million.
LISBON, PORTUGAL – APRIL 05: Darwin Núñez of S.L. Benfica celebrates after scoring their side’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between SL Benfica and Liverpool FC at Estadio da Luz on April 05, 2022, in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Those terms would place the deal for Darwin Núñez as the fourth-highest transfer outlay in Premier League history, while he would eclipse the fee that Liverpool paid for key center-back Virgil van Dijk, making him the most expensive signing in the club’s history.
Núñez will be a direct replacement for Senegalese star Sadio Mané, who is widely expected to seal a deal to German giants Bayern Munich this summer, and the 22-year-old Peñarol youth academy graduate will now be thrust into the spotlight in England as a potential showdown with the likes of the aforementioned Haaland, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Harry Kane is set to kick off in 2022-23.
The Uruguayan international was a leading light in Lisbon with Benfica this season after smashing 26-goals in twenty-eight appearances in Liga Portugal, while hitting 6-goals in ten Champions League appearances as well.
He found the back of the net against his new employers during the quarterfinals of the Champions League back in April, and the mouthwatering prospect of him linking up with Mohamed Salah and Luis Díaz could be a key catalyst for the Reds as they look to outpace City to Premier League honors next season.
For More: Darwin Núñez gives his first interview as a Liverpool player
