Manchester United will not be signing Darwin Nunez this summer as the player’s current club, Benfica, are demanding £100 million for the player, as per reports.
According to The Daily Star, new Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag had identified the Uruguayan forward as a top target for the upcoming transfer window, but the Portuguese side are demanding a nine-figure fee for the player.
Nunez, 22, has been in sensational form this season, scoring 26 goals in 28 top flight games, and also netting six times in the Champions League, including in both legs of their quarter-final tie against Liverpool.
United are keen on signing a striker this summer, with Edinson Cavani leaving the club in the coming weeks and Anthony Martial also likely to depart if a buyer can be found for the Frenchman.
That would leave Cristiano Ronaldo as Ten Hag’s only recognised option up front, and he is therefore keen to bolster his frontline options.
Nunez is being heavily linked with a move away from Benfica
United have not yet walked away from the deal for Nunez, according to the report, but they are unwilling to pay £100 million and have told Benfica to lower their demands to a more realistic amount.
If United were to agree to Benfica’s price, it would make the 22-year-old the joint most expensive signing in British football history alongside Jack Grealish, who joined Manchester City from Aston Villa last summer.
Nunez, who cost Benfica just over £20 million when signed in 2020, was linked with a move to West Ham United in January, but a move never materialised.