It’s evolution at Anfield as Reds line up Darwin to replace Mane

Nunez is keen to move to Merseyside.

Nunez would effectively replace Sadio Mane, who was yesterday the subject of a second bid from Bayern Munich that totalled £30m. Liverpool dismissed it immediately, feeling that the offer was derisory.

It is clear now, though, that Mane’s time on Merseyside is coming to an end and Liverpool are determined to clinch the signature of Nunez, who rejected a lucrative offer from Newcastle in January. Many had wondered what the future would hold for Liverpool in terms of their attack — and if they would be able to find an answer to Manchester City’s acquisition of Erling Haaland. Nunez, who can play on the left as well as through the middle, scored six goals in the Champions League last season, two of which came in the quarter-finals against Liverpool, and he made a significant impression on Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool’s manager said of Nunez in April: ‘He’s really good. I knew of him before, of course, but he played pretty much in front of me with his tough battles with Ibrahima Konate. ‘He was physically strong, quick, was calm around his finish. I always say in these situations if he is healthy, it’s a big career ahead of him.’

If Liverpool can complete the deal, there would be echoes of the summer of 2018 when they responded to a Champions League final defeat by Real Madrid by making significant investments in their squad to kick-start an era of success. Alisson and Fabinho arrived four years ago for a combined £111m but the potential signing of Nunez would go down as the most expensive Liverpool have made, eclipsing the £75m it cost to sign Virgil van Dijk in January 2018.

Atletico Madrid had long seemed the most likely destination for Nunez, with Diego Simeone looking to bolster his forward line, but there have been many suitors within the Premier League, including Manchester United. One thing working against United, however, is the fact that Nunez, who is with the Uruguay squad ahead of Saturday’s game against Jamaica, wants to play in the Champions League and he is excited about the idea of linking up with Klopp to develop his career.

Liverpool have a strong relationship with Nunez’s agents Gestifute — they already have Fabinho, Diogo Jota and Fabio Carvalho at Anfield — and they

have been impressed with the improvement Klopp has brought from their clients.

Nunez, who scored 34 goals in 41 appearances for Benfica last season, could line up in the middle of an attacking three with Luis Diaz on one side and Mohamed Salah on the other. He started his career at Penarol in Uruguay — his ambition as a young player was simply to be good enough to be able to provide for his mother and father — before moving to Almeria in Spain in 2019. Almeria will be due 20 per cent of the fee Benfica receive. It is understood that no formal offer has been made but the framework of a deal is in place. The same, however, cannot be said for Bayern’s attempts to give Mane the move he desires after Liverpool dismissed their latest offer.

Bayern raised their initial bid from £21.5m to £23.5m, with the other £6.5m only coming in full if Mane won the Champions League three times in Munich and supplemented that with three Ballons d’Or. It was an offer that left Anfield officials bemused.

The German champions are trying to get £43m from Barcelona for Robert Lewandowski and Liverpool believe that figure is reflective of Mane’s worth. Barcelona are also interested in Mane.

One piece of business Liverpool are close to completing is the £4m signing of 18-year-old right back Calvin Ramsay from Aberdeen.