Benfica boss Nelson Verissimo believes star striker Darwin Nunez should command a fee in the same ballpark as Joao Felix should he leave the club this summer.
Manchester United and Arsenal were amongst those to send scouts to watch Nunez in action last week ahead of the summer transfer window. The Uruguayan international is expected to be one of Europe's most sought-after strikers over the coming months after a sensational season in the Primeira Liga and Champions League.
Nunez has netted 31 goals in all competitions this season – including in this week’s European clash against Liverpool and a hat-trick against Belenenses SAD on Saturday – while he recently handed United a potential transfer boost by confirming he was changing his agent.
The 22-year-old confirmed the on Thursday that he had left Edgardo Lasalvia after being tipped to join super-agent Jorge Mendes's array of talented clients, which may hint at a summer switch: "I want to clarify that I will not renew my contract with my representative Edgardo Lasalvia. I also want to clarify that neither my family nor I have received any threats [to remain with Lasalvia] and we are fine."
Benfica boss Verissimo – who is only in temporary charge of the Lisbon giants for the remainder of the campaign – has now spoken about the future of the striker and if the club could receive a significant transfer fee for his services. He name-dropped Joao Felix, sold to Atletico Madrid from the club for £113million in 2019, and claimed Nunez should attract a fee near to that amount.
"What do you think? Darwin is an excellent player, he has shown all his quality," Verissimo said. "He has helped the team a lot, it is true that the team has also helped him a lot.
"He is a young player, with a lot of potential, it is natural that given what has been his growth throughout this season and also a lot as an outcome of the performance he has had in the Champions League games, it is natural that he arouses the interest of the big European clubs.
“It will be at the end of this season or the following season, depending on what it has shown, it is natural that it will arouse interest from other clubs and naturally there may be the timing in which it goes. Now regarding numbers, I hope as a Benfica fan that he will leave for numbers close to those that were João Félix's numbers (a record €126million fee).
"Now it's not for me to enter numbers on that question. In what is my day to day with the player, in what he has given to us to observe in training and in the game."
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The Uruguayan has emerged as a transfer target for United, who are in the market for a new striker this summer. Edinson Cavani’s contract at Old Trafford expires this summer and the long-term futures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford are also uncertain.
Nunez has starred in this season’s Champions League and most notably in the group stage victory over Barcelona, where the striker bagged a brace in the 3-0 win over the Catalan side. His biggest goal came in the Round of 16 win over Ajax, with his second half header decisive in Amsterdam last month – alongside his goal against Liverpool this week.
