JAKARTA - Liverpool and Benfica striker Darwin Nunez are reportedly interested in reaching a contract agreement with each other. However, the Uruguayan's club have demanded a transfer fee of £85 million (approximately Rp. 1.5 trillion).
Benfica has conveyed the price benchmark to Liverpool, according to a report by The Times columnist, Paul Joyce, on Wednesday.
If that price was met by Liverpool, it would break the record transfer fee of £75 million that they spent on Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in 2018.
Reporting from Antara, Wednesday, the high price demands set by Benfica cannot be separated from the fact that Nunez still has a contract duration to stay in Portugal until at least 2025.
The 22-year-old forward was bought by Benfica from Almeria for 24 million euros in 2020, and the Spanish club have a clause of 20 per cent of the profits from Nunez's subsequent sale.
Nunez became one of the targets of Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp in the transfer market this summer following the strengthening of news of the planned departure of Sadio Mane who was being approached by Bayern Munich and the uncertainty of negotiating a new contract for Mohamed Salah.
Klopp and his players at Liverpool have witnessed firsthand the ability of Nunez who scored one goal at home and another in the Champions League quarter-final away match last season.
Overall Nunez scored no less than 34 goals in 41 appearances for Benfica throughout the 2021-22 season.
Klopp also briefly praised Nunez's performance before the second leg of the quarter-final which ended in a 3-3 draw at Anfield in April.
"A very handsome young man, isn't he? And a good player too. Very very good. I knew before, of course, but he practically acted before my eyes with his hard fight against Ibrahima Konate," said Klopp at the time.
"He is incredibly strong, fast and calm in releasing finishes. Good, very good. In situations like this I always say, if he can keep his fitness, he will have a great career," he added.
Liverpool are not the only English Premier League team interested in Nunez, as their former rivals Manchester United are also eyeing the Uruguay striker. However, Liverpool is apparently not interested in getting involved in a price war.
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