Brighton tried and failed to sign Darwin Nunez in the summer of 2020 from Spanish second division side, Almeria, and then again a year later from Benfica – but now he is a Liverpool player...CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
Before Liverpool, Manchester United, and West Ham were interested in Darwin Nunez, Brighton were closing to signing the sought-after striker.
Albion tried and failed to sign the former Penarol forward in the summer of 2020 from Spanish second division side, Almeria. Having dealt with them over the transfers of Leonardo Ulloa and Tomer Hemed, the Sussex side seemed in a good position to complete the move.
However, according to The Athletic, Covid-19 restrictions stopped his entourage from going to England for face-to-face talks. As a result, Benfica came calling and paid a club-record fee of approximately £20million to sign the Uruguayan international.
After scoring just six goals in 29 Primeira Liga matches, rumours began to spread that The Eagles were considering the future of their front man. However, as they then qualified for the Champions League in the summer of 2021, Benfica were not interested in selling him and his price tag kept on increasing – effectively pricing out Brighton.
In January, West Ham were reportedly very close to securing a £45m deal for him but the Portuguese giants were unlikely to sell at that price, and as Nunez kept firing in the goals, the fee that he could command skyrocketed. Moreover, United were in with a shout of signing the attacker but luck was not on their side.
The Athletic claim the Red Devils had arranged to meet Benfica’s president Rui Costa to discuss a deal before their Champions League quarter-final with Liverpool in April but Costa and his family ‘suffered food poisoning’ at a birthday meal, although a spokesperson for the club denied this.
With United hesistant, Liverpool pounced and the rest is history. Nunez, who scored 34 times in 41 appearances for Benfica last season, is now with the Reds after signing a six-year deal for an initial £64m. That fee could rise to £85m with add-ons.
It’s a case of what might have been for Brighton. According to Portuguese newspaper Record, Nunez had ‘one and a half feet’ at Albion last summer, with club officials flying to Lisbon to close the transfer for €28m (£24m).
The report states that during this time, Benfica’s president, Luis Filipe Vieira, was arrested and Costa replaced him. Under him, he chose to ‘freeze’ this exit and that is that. While it didn’t work out for the Seagulls, it certainly dovetailed nicely for Nunez.
