Liverpool’s new signing Darwin Nunez has suggested he won’t be playing alongside Sadio Mane next season.
Nunez signed a six-year contract with Liverpool on Tuesday after completing a transfer from Benfica. The Reds have agreed to pay the Portuguese side an initial fee of £64million, but it will quickly rise to £75m based on appearances, while Benfica are also set to receive a further £10m based on trophy success.
That financial package means Nunez will overtake Virgil van Dijk as Liverpool’s record signing, given the Dutch defender arrived for £75m from Southampton in January 2018. The 22-year-old is Liverpool’s first signing of the summer and will wear the No27 shirt next season, as a direct replacement for Divock Origi, who will join AC Milan when his contract expires at the end of the month.
However, Nunez appears to be more of a replacement for Mane, who is hoping to leave Merseyside for Bayern Munich this summer. Bayern remain locked in negotiations with Liverpool, having seen two bids rejected for the Senegal international, who has hinted at his pending departure on several occasions .
Mane is under contract for another year at Liverpool, but his desire to leave has clearly reached Nunez, who name-checked Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino, but not Mane, when discussing his new team-mates.
In an interview with the club website, he was asked what he was looking forward to. The Uruguay international replied: "[I’m] hugely excited. Like I said before, there are some top, top players here with great qualities. There is Firmino, who's a great player; and then Jota, who is another great striker; Luis Diaz, Salah.
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“To play alongside these 'monsters' is going to be something really special for me because as a kid you dream of going far and I dreamt of being able to play in Europe but I didn't expect to get as far as a great club like Liverpool. I can tell you, I'm really enjoying it so far and enjoying being here with my partner.
“If my partner is happy, I am happier because your family is fundamental. So, there'll be a lot of competition between the forwards here but it will be healthy competition. We're all here to help each other out so everything goes well for everybody."
Nunez scored 48 goals across 85 appearances in all competitions for Benfica and is considered one of the most exciting young players in Europe. He also knows Liverpool well, having played and scored in both legs of Benfica’s Champions League quarter-final clashes with Jurgen Klopp’s side in April.
“I've played against Liverpool and I've seen them in lots of games in the Champions League, and it's my style of play,” he added. “There are some great players here and I think it's going to suit my style of play here. As I say, I've watched quite a lot and it's a very big club and I hope I can give everything that I've got in order to help the team.”
