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According to Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have reached a verbal agreement to sign Benfica striker Darwin Nunez. The Uruguay international is expected to fly to Merseyside for his medical on Monday.
Nunez has established himself as among the most promising strikers in Europe following an impressive 2021-22 season with Benfica. The 22-year-old striker scored 26 goals in 28 league games last season. He also found the back of the net six times in 10 UEFA Champions League appearances last term.
The Reds will reportedly pay a club-record transfer fee of £85 million (as per Paul Joyce) to recruit the striker. On that note, let's take a look at three reasons why Darwin Nunez will succeed at Liverpool.
#1 Darwin Nunez's peak years ahead of him
Players normally get better with experience and, at 22, Darwin Nunez is yet to enter the prime of his career. With world-class coaches and players around him, Nunez could unleash a whole new level at Anfield.
Nunez made his professional debut aged 18 for Penarol in 2017. He played 14 league games for his boyhood club before joining Spanish side Almeria in 2019. He spent just one season with the Andalusia-based club and joined Benfica in 2020. Nunez has been plying his trade for the Portuguese club ever since.
Despite being young, Nunez has the experience of playing over 130 professional club games to get his Anfield career up to speed. It could be said that the Reds have signed Nunez at an opportune time, considering his best is yet to come.
#2 Liverpool star-studded forward line
Liverpool currently possess one of the most lethal attacking units in European football. The imminent departure of Sadio Mane will leave the Reds with Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino, Luiz Dias, and Takumi Minamino as senior attackers.
The Reds scored 92 goals in 38 Premier League games last season - second most in the league, just behind champions Manchester City. Given that Nunez is among their ranks, the Reds could become more lethal in front of goal.
The Uruguayan converted 30.6 percent (as per WhoScored) of his chances last season, which is most among players with 99 or more shots on goal in Liga Bwin.
#3 Liverpool's full-back duo
Liverpool full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are the most creative players in the Premier League. They assisted 12 and 10 goals respectively in the league last season.
The duo supplies regular quality deliveries into the 18-yard box, which is a dream for a finisher like Nunez who can score with his right foot, his weaker foot, or with a header.
The Uruguay international converted 55% of his chances in the league last season, as per Liverpool.com. We could see him score a lot of goals in the company of the Reds full-back duo next season.
