Fabrizio Romano has noted that the €100m total package attached to the signing of Darwin Nunez pushed Manchester United away from the Uruguayan international whilst Jurgen Klopp played a
The reporter shared confirmation of an agreement between Liverpool and Benfica for the 22-year-old online, with the former Almeria star set to sign a six-year contract, should all go to plan.
“Jurgen Klopp spoke to the player in person during the Champions League match of the season just ended, and then again in the last few days,” the Italian journalist told Caught Offside.
“As reports have claimed, there was a chat with Virgil van Dijk before those two games, but my understanding is that Klopp is the main man who made a difference in the negotiation.
“As for Manchester United’s interest in Nunez, Erik ten Hag had mentioned the Uruguay international in his meetings with the Manchester United board, but he is not disappointed because he knows that spending a €100m package for the 22-year-old risked compromising the club’s strategies.
“Manchester United certainly tried to sign Darwin, and they were still in contact with his agent until Friday, but they considered Nunez a €70m target, not €100m.
“They will still look to sign a new striker, but a decision will also depend on who can leave the club, such as Anthony Martial.”
The Merseysiders are expected to engage in further business beyond the addition of the highly-rated forward, with Aberdeen’s Calvin Ramsey tipped to join as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s understudy and a new midfielder deemed a transfer priority.
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Regardless of the Red Devils’ valuation of our latest signing, the reality is that we rarely put a foot wrong when contributing a significant fee up front in the Klopp era.
At 22 years of age, we haven’t got recruited the finished product in Nunez; a reality that may seriously concern fans in light of the expected departure of Sadio Mane, though those who remember him from his Penarol days are convinced he has a bright future at the top of the game.
Many will be quick to point out that his 34 goals in 41 games came in a comparatively weak league in the Portuguese top-flight.
However, Luis Diaz’s successful move from the Primeira Liga to England should stand as a promising example of how our latest signing may fare in the Premier League.
My cousin in Liverpool told me before the CL final that Liverpool where almost certain to sign Nunez this summer a fact that was reiterated by Mark Goldbridge on the United Stand. United might have wanted Nunez but Nunez wanted to move to Liverpool or Spain plain and simple. We lost out, we just have to get over it and hope he isn’t the success I think he will be under Klopp
Bayern and Dortmund and 16 lesser teams. Why is Haaland never mentioned when talking about playing in a weaker league?