Manchester United are reportedly the front-runners in the race to sign SL Benfica starlet Darwin Nunez this summer.
According to a report by O Jogo, Manchester United are closing in on the capture of Darwin Nunez. The Premier League giants on the verge of reaching an agreement with SL Benfica over the sale of the talented forward, who has become the transfer priority of new coach Erik ten Hag.
The report suggests Manchester United are the front-runner in the race to sign Nunez. Aside from them, the striker has become a subject of interest from various other European giants including Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Benfica’s hefty price tag, believed to be around €60 million as per Dean Jones, has kept most of the clubs on contention.
The same cannot be said for Manchester United, who are prepared to break the bank for Nunez. The former Almeria starlet is rated highly by ten Hag, who is keen on adding a new attacking partner for Cristiano Ronaldo in the new season, especially amid all the uncertainty surrounding the future of Marcus Rashford.
With no Ralf Rangnick to hold him back this time, ten Hag has assumed greater control of Manchester United’s recruitment policy. The Dutchman has subsequently identified multiple problem areas for the club, one of which is the lack of goalscoring support for Ronaldo, who was the club’s top scorer this past season with 18 goals.
Bruno Fernandes, a playmaker, is second on the list with ten goals. It is a concerning number for a club expected to compete for the title next season. But Manchester United coach ten Hag is hoping to resolve the issue by bringing in Darwin Nunez to Old Trafford in the coming summer.
With a tally of 47 goals and 16 assists in 84 competitive outings, Nunez has made quite an impression with his productivity at Benfica. His performances have not only been restricted to just the Portuguese top-flight either, with the striker also producing excellent performances in the UEFA Champions League.
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Manchester United are expecting him to replicate those performances in the Premier League next season, alongside the mercurial Ronaldo. Nunez’s pace, dynamism and versatility should combine extremely well with the Portuguese forward’s aerial prowess and ability to score goals, ultimately adding a new dimension to Manchester United’s offensive game.
