Benfica star Adel Taarabt has revealed that Liverpool target Darwin Nunez has shades of former striker Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani as his move to the Premier League edges closer.
The ECHO understands that the 22-year-old is on the verge of completing an £85m move to Anfield and becoming the six-time European champions' record signing.
Nunez showcased his credentials throughout the campaign for Benfica scoring 26 goals in 28 league appearances. He proved difficult to thwart for Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate in the Champions League knockouts as he scored a goal in each leg against the Reds.
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Moroccan star Taarabt signed for the 37-time Primeira Liga champions in 2015, and he couldn't speak more highly of Nunez. He told talkSPORT: "I like the strikers that are selfish, they just want to score - I like this - (strikers) that finish.
"(Nunez) has that. If he doesn’t score he’s not happy but he will work so hard for the team - he’s fit, if you see his body he’s a real athlete. He is a machine, for me, now in Premier League, he will score for sure."
Sporting director Julian Ward has managed to negotiate a compromise from Benfica's original €100m asking price to £64.1m (€75m) with a possible £12.8m in appearance-related add-ons and £8.5m depending on team success.
With Nunez's big price tag, question marks have already emerged from some quarters despite his prolific form in front of goal last season. But Taarabt believes he can replicate the form that saw him warrant interest from the Reds.
"100 per cent (Nunez can carry Benfica form to Premier League)," he added. "You saw it in the Champions League, the two games he had against Liverpool, he was amazing.
"Even after the game, the second leg when he scored after the match I think Klopp went to him direct and said ‘what a player’. You see for Liverpool, they brought (Luis) Diaz from Porto, you see how good he was.
"For Darwin, I don’t know if it will be official or for sure Benfica will sell, I’ve heard (the reports)… I think for Darwin it will be the language, that is what’s important when you come to England, he has a mix of Cavani and Suarez, he can jump, go behind, for me, he’s a mix of both.
"The season. 34 goals, six goals in the Champions League, two against Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Liverpool. The most important (thing), he keeps his head, focused, for me, the only thing (problem) at Liverpool is the language barrier."
Nunez arrived in Lisbon from Almeria for a club-record fee, although he only managed six goals in his debut league campaign in Portugal, Taarabt revealed from his first training session he knew that the Penarol youngster would become 'one of the best in the world'.
"Last year when he arrived from Almeria no one knows him really but it was already a big fee, a lot of people were surprised," he continued. "When we saw him in the first training (session) we understood he was going to be one of the best forward in the world, in my opinion."
