Journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed that Aston Villa will probably be one of the clubs looking at Benfica striker Darwin Nunez.
Nunez has been in fine goalscoring form this season in Liga Portugal, scoring an impressive 21 goals in 23 league games.
He has been linked to several clubs across Europe, with Manchester United among those interested.
The Uruguayan striker has been praised by former manager Jorge Jesus, who once claimed he would be the “best in the world” after bursting on the scene at 21 years old.
With the news that Manchester United are interested in the young forward, O’Rourke spoke to GiveMeSport and claimed that Villa will most likely be among the clubs tracking his progress.
He said: “I’m sure they’re probably among those clubs looking at Darwin Nunez at Benfica. That one might be outside their price range, or even luring him without Champions League football might be difficult.”
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TIF Thoughts on Pete O’Rourke’s comments…
Nunez has been in emphatic form this season in the Portuguese league for Benfica. He has averaged a goal every 74 minutes, has been named in SofaScore’s Team of the Week on six occasions and has an average player rating of 7.4 this term.
Nunez is currently valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, and given his performances of late, it would be no surprise for him to have a lot of attraction surrounding him in the summer. If his price tag was as much as £36m, it could be hard to see Aston Villa having a chance at signing him as Benfica’s asking price could easily be higher, while the likes of Manchester United may be able to offer more money.
The 22-year-old forward has proven that he can produce these impressive performances in the Champions League as well this season, scoring four goals in eight games – and only started four of those matches, which equals a goal every 108 minutes in the competition.
So this should remove the doubt among the interested clubs over whether he can cut it outside the Portuguese league, which could be deemed as a lower level than some other leagues across Europe.