This season has been a turbulent one for Manchester United, and with the prospect of a new manager coming in, the hierarchy will need transfers. According to Fabrizio Romano, Benfica striker Darwin Nunez is being “discussed internally”.
With all the rumours around the hunt for their new manager, the discussion of who United will pursue in the summer transfer window is starting to heat up fast. It seems a new striker is near the top of the list and so links with young hot prospect Nunez are starting to rise up.
However, the Red Devils are not alone in the pursuit of the Benfica man and currently face opposition from rivals Manchester City, Arsenal, and West Ham United. All of this competition will surely see a bidding war between these teams arise during the summer window and could see Benfica receive a hefty fee for the Uruguayan.
While United are looking set to fail in their quest for Champions League qualification, they are set to welcome Ajax manager Erik ten Hag, who is well respected around Europe and could very well entice Nunez to join the red side of Manchester, should they go for the man.
Their pursuit of Nunez seems likely, as according to journalist Romano, they are currently holding discussions on whether or not to sign the young prospect. When speaking on the Que Golazo podcast, Romano suggested the team are just exploring the market for now but could make a move come the summer.
Speaking before Ten Hag reached an agreement in principle with United, he said: “I’m told that this [is a] player discussed internally at Man United right now, because they will go for a striker. And so Man United are thinking of him as a possibility, but they will decide with a new manager, and so let’s see what Erik ten Hag, or the new manager – let’s see who it will be – will decide with the board.
“But now at the moment, it’s just exploring the market, but I’m sure that he will be one of the big names. I’m sure that he will leave Benfica, and so I would keep the race open.”
TIF Thoughts on Nunez to United…
United will need to be competitive once again in the transfer market if they are to compete for the top four and even the title next season under Ten Hag. They have been bitterly disappointing this season and are in need of a complete squad overhaul to shift the deadwood and bring in fresh and exciting players.
For this reason, Nunez would be a great signing for them. He has excelled in the league and Champions League for Benfica this season and would offer for the future frontline alongside the likes of Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Elanga.
So far this season for Benfica, Nunez has racked up a spectacular 31 goals and three assists across all competitions with five goals coming in his nine Champions League appearances, proving he can do it on the biggest stage in world football. He also averages 2.6 shots, 1.5 dribbles and 0.9 key passes per game (WhoScored), which will help him settle into the interchangeable front three with Ronaldo and Sancho.