Benfica confirmed that a £85 million deal with Liverpool was struck for Darwin Nunez on Monday morning, but what is to make up the potential club-record fee?
With Liverpool and Benfica finding common ground over the Uruguayan after sporting director Julian Ward made the journey to Portugal, Nunez is now to undergo a medical on Monday.
With a six-year contract to be signed once given the green light, the Reds are committing to up to £85 million for the 22-year-old.
Benfica confirmed that the transfer is worth a guaranteed £64.02m (€75m), with a further £21.34m (€25m) in performance-related add-ons.
The total fee could then rise to £85.36m should Nunez thrive at Anfield, creating a comfortable buffer to the existing record signing of Virgil van Dijk (£75m).
But what will trigger the £21.34m in add-ons?
Two Portuguese outlets, Record and O Jogo, have claimed that the first £4.3m will come after Nunez makes just 10 appearances.
A further £8.5m will then follow after 60 games for Liverpool, with the final £8.5m to “depend on the individual and collective performance of the team throughout the contract.”
It falls in line with what the Times‘ Paul Joyce previously reported, with £12.8m expected to have been linked to appearances and £8.5m for performance, both individual and team.
With 60 appearances alone, Nunez would topple Liverpool’s existing club-record fee and you would expect that to come to fruition, meaning Benfica are expected to bank, at the very least, £76.8m.
Nunez is the second biggest transfer for Portuguese football, with Joao Felix holding the record after his €126m move to Atletico Madrid in 2019.
The Uruguayan, who scored 34 goals in 41 appearances in 2021/22, is currently on his way to complete his medical before his official unveiling as Liverpool’s latest signing.
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