Liverpool will get the opportunity to run the rule over Darwin Nunez after drawing Benfica in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The Reds have recently been linked with a move to sign Nunez this summer (Daily Star). But according to O Jogo via Sport Witness, Liverpool will have pay around £55m to bring the 22-year-old to England.
Jurgen Klopp will soon be able to get a better idea of whether the Uruguayan is worth that kind of money. A battle with Virgil Van Dijk and Joel Matip at Anfield is a good test of any striker’s mettle.
The Liverpool defensive pair have been on top of their game recently. If Nunez can come to Anfield and put in a good display against the centre-back’s, Klopp may be more inclined to sanction the raid.
How good is he?
Nunez has long been linked with a big-money move away from Benfica. As far back as the summer of 2020, the youngster was being tipped to join Italian giants Napoli and Roma (Calciomercato).
He followed those links up with a slightly underwhelming campaign in which he scored 14 goals in all competitions for The Eagles.
This time around he has exploded into life. He has 26 goals so far this season, almost double last year’s tally already.
Included in that number is four Champions League goals. It was Nunez who scored the goal that sent Benfica into the last eight with victory over Ajax in Amsterdam.
In terms of playing style, the South American does bear a resemblance to Erling Haaland. At 6ft 2in, Nunez is slightly shorter than Haaland, but he runs with a pace and directness reminiscent of the powerful Norweigian.
He isn’t a forward who would necessarily slot straight into the Liverpool front-line, as Luis Diaz has recently done. But at 22, he should be young enough to be moulded into any attacking system.
The draw couldn’t have been much kinder to Liverpool. They won’t underestimate Benfica by any means. But they’ll certainly back themselves to get through.
Their chances will improve further if they can keep Nunez quiet over the two legs. If he does end up showcasing his full potential against Klopp’s team, he may enhance his chances of swapping Lisbon for Liverpool in the summer.
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