La Liga heavyweights Barcelona reportedly view 22-year-old Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez as a potential alternative to Erling Haaland.
According to a report by Spanish publication SPORT, Darwin Nunez has popped up on the radar of Barcelona over a possible move in the summer transfer window. The Catalan giants consider the 22-year-old Benfica striker as a potential alternative to priority target Erling Haaland.
Darwin Nunez has come into his own since joining Benfica from Almeria in September 2020. While the Uruguayan international experienced teething problems at the Portuguese club but has been in sensational form over the past year. And he has stepped his game up several notches in the ongoing campaign.
Nunez has 25 goals and two assists in 31 appearances across all competitions and has played a key role in Benfica’s superb UEFA Champions League campaign, wherein they pipped Barcelona to reach the knockout stages. The 22-year-old’s exploits have not gone unnoticed either, with some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Barcelona, keen on signing him.
The interest from Barcelona makes sense, considering Martin Braithwaite will likely leave in the summer transfer window. At the same time, there is no certainty that Barcelona will sign Luuk de Jong permanently once he returns to Sevilla at the end of his loan spell.
The departures of the two experienced strikers will leave another veteran in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the only natural centre-forward at Xavi Hernandez’s disposal. Signing a striker is thus imperative for Barcelona, with Erling Haaland becoming their key target heading into the summer transfer window.
But Haaland is one of the most highly sought-after players in the market, meaning the Catalan giants need to keep their options open. To that end, several other strikers have emerged on Barcelona’s radar, with Nunez being one of the candidates. But like Haaland, Nunez is also a hot property, with several other European powerhouses, including Manchester City, tracking him.
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As for the other options, according to SPORT, Karim Adeyemi, Patrik Schick and Andre Silva are also on Barcelona’s radar. But some other reports have mentioned that Barcelona will not pursue a move for Adeyemi this coming summer, leaving Schick, Silva and Nunez as the main alternatives to Haaland.
