REVEALED: Jurgen Klopp and Virgil van Dijk played vital role in persuading Darwin Nunez to make Liverpool switch after both spoke to Uruguayan international following Benfica Champions League clash
- Jurgen Klopp and Virgil van Dijk had a role in Darwin Nunez’s move to Liverpool
- According to reports, the Reds stars spoke to Nunez during their European clash
- Nunez faced Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-final last campaign
- Uruguayan striker scored twice against the club he is now expected to sign for
- £85million move will make him the most expensive player in the club’s history
Jurgen Klopp and Virgil van Dijk both played a vital role in persuading Darwin Nunez to join Liverpool, according to the Sunday Times.
The Uruguayan forward is expected to finalise a club record £85million move to Anfield next week with the striker’s medical set for Monday.
And despite emerging as a transfer target for both Manchester United and Newcastle United, Nunez has settled on a move to Merseyside after talking with the Liverpool contingent in a Champions League game last year.
Darwin Nunez (L) spoke with Virgil van Dijk (R) about a potential move to Liverpool last year
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp (above) also spoke with the Benfica striker after the European clash
According to reports, both Klopp and van Dijk spoke with the striker after their Champions League quarter-final clash against Benfica in April – where Nunez scored two goals in the tie.
Two months later, the 22-year-old forward is now expected to come become the most expensive player in Liverpool’s history – smashing van Dijk’s £75million move from Southampton in 2018.
The club’s director of football, Julian Ward, has been in Portugal over the weekend to finalise the record deal that could rise to £85m.
Liverpool will pay an initial €75 million (£64 million) for Núñez with a further £12.8million potentially linked to appearances and £8.5million based on the forward performing in a successful team.
The 22-year-old star is expected to become the most expensive player in Liverpool’s history
Everything is sorted in terms of personal terms and Nunez will sign a six-year contract, worth more than £6million per year or roughly £120,000-a-week.
His former club Almeria are due to receive 20 per cent of any transfer profit above the £20.4million Benfica paid for him in 2020.
The Uruguayan did not feature in his national side’s game with Panama on Sunday as he prepares for medical tests to start tomorrow in Madrid.
In the last six months, Nunez has drawn interest from a number of Premier League clubs and was subject to a sensational last-minute bid from West Ham in the recent January window.
The Uruguayan forward scored twice in the Champions League tie against Liverpool (above)
Source: Daily Mail Online