Darwin Nunez: What could have been for Sheffield United as striker nears €100m Liverpool move
Sheffield United fans monitoring the Premier League transfer ticker and noticing talk of a €100m shootout between Liverpool and Manchester United for Darwin Nunez may be forgiven for recognising the name.
That’s because United themselves were linked with the Benfica forward back in 2020 when they were a top-flight club, and the Uruguayan was impressing for Almería after scoring 16 goals in the Spanish Secunda Division.
Local newspaper La Voz de Almería reported that United and then-Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion were willing to spend around €15m on Nunez, who ended up moving to Benfica for €24m.
Almería also have a 20 per cent stake in any future sale – which could net them a hefty windfall, with Nunez seemingly in demand between two of the Premier League’s biggest clubs.
Still only 22, Nunez scored 32 goals in 41 games for club and country last season and reports suggest he is set to sign for Liverpool as they prepare to let Sadio Mane join Bayern Munich.
United signed Rhian Brewster for a club-record fee in the summer of 2020 and although hindsight now suggests Nunez may have been a better bet, the reasoning was sound.
Then-boss Chris Wilder was keen to sign players that wouldn’t look to jump ship if United were relegated – as Burnley, for example, are now experiencing with striker Wout Weghorst, who has no desire to play in the Championship.
Jorge Jesus, Nunez’s former manager at Benfica, predicted he would become the best player in the world one day and he may soon get his move to the Premier League – while Unitedites wonder what could have been.