Liverpool Hinge Núñez Transfer On Mané Exit

Things appear to be speeding up in Liverpool’s pursuit of number one transfer target Darwin Núñez from Benfica. Local reports out of Uruguay have confirmed that the star will miss the team’s friendly against Panama on Saturday in order to fly to Merseyside for a medical and to complete the deal.

The last sticking point between the clubs seems to be the difference between the flat £85.5m that Benfica asked for and Liverpool’s offer of a structured deal of an initial £68.4m and then up to £20m of performance add-ons.

However, before the deal is sealed, the Reds apparently want to complete Sadio Mané’s transfer away from the club to Bayern Munich. Liverpool have already rejected two initial offers from the German side as they remain firm on their valuation of their star forward. The plan is for Núñez to be a direct replacement for the iconic Senagalese star, so it stands to reason that the club want to get that deal set first.

Based on how advanced their work is with Núñez, it will be unsurprising to see both sets of transfers announced in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Like it usually goes, the news started with the local Uruguayan press, but has since spread across the ocean, with English journos confirming the news as well. The club has yet to issue a statement about Núñez or Mané, but barring some last minute hi jinx, both seem to be imminent.

TLO’s intrepid, ragtag group of internet warriors will be here with any news the moment either of these deals get confirmed.