Manchester City are seemingly confident of snapping up Benfica’s rising star Darwin Nunez for a fee of £70 million.
According to Daily Star, the race to sign Darwin Nunez is hotting up, with the SL Benfica attacker emerging as one of the most in-demand players in the market. Manchester City and FC Barcelona, in particular, are among the clubs in contention to snap him up in the near future.
City are much more confident of landing Nunez owing to their excellent relationship with Benfica. The reigning English champions, after all, had signed Ederson and Ruben Dias in the recent past while the likes of Bernardo Silva and Joao Cancelo have played for the Portuguese giants prior to their move to the Etihad.
A native of Artigas, Darwin Nunez was already one of the hottest prospects in South American football heading into the new season, thanks to a brilliant debut season at Benfica that saw him being involved in 16 league goals. The Uruguayan has now continued his excellent form in front of goal in the 2021/22 campaign, already scoring four goals in five league matches so far.
However, what has truly made him an in-demand player in the market was his performance against FC Barcelona. The young attacker was one of the top performers for Benfica in their 3-0 win over the Catalans, notably scoring a stunning brace to seal all three points for his team.
The performance has left Barcelona vying for the signature of the Uruguayan international. But they might be set for further disappointment as Manchester City look to step up their pursuit of the 22-year-old, who has shown his ability to perform at the highest level of football.
Nunez currently has a release clause at Benfica worth around £125 million, but the Citizens are confident of snapping him up for just £70 million. A centre forward by trade, it appears the youngster could finally prove to be the designated successor for Sergio Aguero.
Manchester City, though, have no shortage of alternatives. They are, after all, one of the top contenders to sign Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund next summer while Harry Kane has continued to remain in sights, despite a rocky start to the campaign.
Pep Guardiola is open to exploring other options as well including Fiorentina’s rising star Dusan Vlahovic, who himself is keen on arriving at Etihad. But with still a chunk of the season left to be played, Manchester City will likely be patient with their approach before deciding a prioritise a target next summer.
City, though, face stiff competition from Chelsea and Manchester United in his pursuit, with the Blues facing a precarious situation over the future of Timo Werner, while Manchester United could lose Edinson Cavani soon. Nevertheless, the Citizens are confident of winning the race to sign Nunez, beating Chelsea and United to his signature.