Chelsea were linked with Benfica’s Darwin Núñez last month, and Portuguese outlet Record (via Sport Witness) once again brings up our interest in the 22-year-old striker.
According to the report, Núñez’s agent has held talks with a number of Premier League sides, with Manchester City, Newcastle United, and of course, Chelsea amongst the clubs mentioned. Benfica are said to be awaiting an offer from one of those sides, and although it is not explicitly mentioned who will make that bid, we’re seemingly just as likely to be that club alongside the Citizens and the Toons.
The offer will apparently be one for the summer, which in line with what Benfica want, since they do not want to lose their talismanic forward in January. The Portuguese side will demand the full amount of his €150m release clause should any club make an approach in the winter transfer window.
His representatives have also held talks with AC Milan and Atletico Madrid reportedly, with the likes of Juventus, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Barcelona also keeping an eye on the situation. Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and West Ham United have also entered the race in recent days, as per reports.
Benfica seemingly want the 22-year-old’s departure to fetch a club-record fee, with the current record being João Félix’s sale at around €127m. Núñez has scored 8 goals and provided 2 assists in 15 appearances this season, with 2 of those goals coming against Barcelona and 1 against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. His contract with Benfica runs though 2025.
With Chelsea already having signed a big-money centre forward this past summer, it’s unlikely that we will now enter into a race for one of Europe’s most-coveted strikers, but then again, one can never know anything for certain in the calciomercato world!
Loading comments...