With Sadio Mane seemingly on his way out, Liverpool are already preparing for life without him. According to Paul Joyce, of The Times, Liverpool are heavily interested in young Benfica striker Darwin Nunez, but Liverpool will not be tempted to pay over the odds for the player. The club are aiming to be frugal and has a number of targets lined up to replace Mane who will likely command a relatively low fee as he only has 12 months remaining on his current deal.
Liverpool Interested in Benfica Striker Darwin Nunez But Want to Be Frugal
Replacing Mane
The key for Liverpool is replacing someone as creatively talented as Sadio Mane. The Senegalese attacker has provided goals and assists aplenty since joining in 2016. Just last season Mane scored 23 times in 51 games for Liverpool, bringing his club total to 120 goals in 269 games. Finding a replacement for that kind of output is difficult, but Liverpool are eyeing up Darwin Nunez.
Starlet Nunez
Across the 2021/22 Champions League [6] and Liga Portugal [26], Darwin Núñez has scored 32 goals in 38 appearances.
Averaging a goal every 81.3 minutes with a conversion rate of 31.4%. 🇺🇾⚽️ pic.twitter.com/OJgSPuAI7B
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) May 31, 2022
After spending just one season in the Spanish second division with Almeria, Nunez was signed by Portuguese giants Benfica. His first season at the club was somewhat rocky as he only scored 14 goals in 44 games but this past season he turned into a goalscoring machine, including scoring twice against Liverpool in Champions League action. Nunez finished last season with an impressive total of 34 goals in 41 games, with 26 goals coming in 28 league games. What will be even more enticing for Liverpool is his six goals in 10 games in Europe, proving he has what it takes to score in the toughest competition.
With Almeria reportedly set to receive 20% of any future deal involving Darwin Nunez his eventual fee will be inflated somewhat, a 22-year-old goalscorer will already command a hefty fee, but Benfica will know that only 80% remains with them meaning they will likely wait it out for a massive offer.
