Liverpool agree club-record deal for Benfica forward Darwin Nunez

Liverpool have agreed a deal with Benfica to sign forward Darwin Nunez for a potential club record fee, the Portuguese side have announced.

The 22-year-old Uruguay international will cost the Reds an initial £64million, with add-ons taking the potential final price to £85.5million.

That would eclipse the £75million the Merseyside club paid for Virgil van Dijk in 2018.

Liverpool will look to finalise what is understood to be a six-year contract with Nunez, whose arrival could clear the way for Sadio Mane to leave Anfield.

A statement from Benfica released in the early hours of Monday morning said the club had “reached an agreement with Liverpool FC for the sale of all rights to the player Darwin Nunez, for the amount of 75 million euros”.

It added that the “total amount of the sale could reach the amount of 100 million euros”.

Personal terms are not expected to be a problem with Nunez having expressed a desire to move to Liverpool despite reported interest from Manchester United.

He is now set to begin the formalities of a medical on Monday which could take until Wednesday to complete.

Nunez scored 26 goals in 28 league appearances for Benfica last season and scored in both legs of their Champions League quarter-final against Jurgen Klopp’s side in April.

He is effectively a replacement for Mane, who is the subject of interest from Bayern Munich and looks set to move on.

Liverpool have already rejected two offers for the 30-year-old from the Bundesliga champions which they considered derisory and are holding out for a fee in excess of £40million for a player who scored 23 times last season.