Darwin Nunez, a striker from Uruguay, has joined Liverpool from Benfica in Portugal on a six-year agreement worth an initial £64 million.
The 22-year-old may set a new club record for transfers, with add-ons pushing the price to as much as £85 million.
Nunez scored 34 goals for Benfica in 41 games last season.
“I’m overjoyed and overjoyed to be here in Liverpool. “It’s a huge club,” he explained. “At Liverpool, I hope to win a lot of trophies.”
“I’ve played against Liverpool and seen them in a number of Champions League games – and it’s my style of play,” Nunez continued. There are several fantastic players here, and I believe it will complement my style of play.”
Liverpool’s current record transfer is the £75 million paid to Southampton for centre-back Virgil van Dijk in 2018.
If Nunez plays frequently, his cost should be at least £75 million. The deal’s add-ons, which may reach £21 million if all are satisfied, include how many goals he scores and if the Reds win the Champions League.
The signature is contingent on international clearance and the issuance of a work permit.
In 2021-22, the forward, who has 11 caps for Uruguay, scored 26 goals in 28 league games, 25 of which came in the 24 games in which he started.
Nunez not only led the league in goals for 2021–22 but also scored six times in ten games in the Champions League the previous year, notably in both legs of their quarterfinal matchup against Liverpool in April.
“I was extremely shocked to see the set-up, the building, and all the trophies here when I arrived at the training area,” said Nunez.
“You can then envision yourself winning additional awards, and when you come back here later and see the trophies on display, you can remark, ‘Look, I was there at that time, winning trophies.’
“Winning trophies and championships is one of the reasons why I came to Liverpool.”
Last season, Liverpool won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, but finished second in the Premier League and were beaten in the Champions League final by Real Madrid.
