In a sudden development at the beginning of the summer, Liverpool is doing everything to replace Santo Mane with the 22-year-old international Uruguay Nunez. Nunez, who has scored 34 goals in 41 games for Benfica this season, is expected to enter into a deal that will break the Reds’ existing transfer record. A package worth more than 85 85 million has been widely reported, which is much higher than the εκατο 75 million paid to Southampton to sign Virgil van Dyke. Athletic’s David Ornstein and James Pierce said on Thursday that the personal terms had already been agreed with Nunes, while ESPN claimed that the talks between Liverpool and Benfica were “advanced”. Now, Portuguese journalist Pedro Sepulveda – who is based in Lisbon and works for the television network SIC Noticias – described the deal as “finished” pending a final signing by Benfica. Sepulveda claims that Man United is “out of the race”, although he never suspected that Nunez would choose Old Trafford and that the player has “already announced the decision to his family and friends”. Nunez has reportedly agreed a five-year contract with Liverpool worth € 6 million after taxes, which equates to around .000 100,000 a week. There is, of course, a possibility that Sepulveda has dropped the weapon, but it is logical that the agreement should be finalized in the near future, given how quickly the reports have developed. When news of Liverpool’s intention to sign a player leaks to the Merseyside press, it is rare that the club has not already completed the transfer – or at least has assurances that it will happen.
