Manchester City are rumoured to be interested in signing a Benfica forward for the summer transfer window.
Manchester City, according to Fichajes, wants to put an end to their search for a center-forward once and for all. They’ve identified three primary objectives during the summer: Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund, Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur, and Darwin Nunez of SL Benfica.
In 2020, the Uruguayan striker moved to Portugal for €24 million from UD Almeria. Nunez, who has been capped eight times by Uruguay, scored 16 goals in the Spanish second division for the latter, prompting Benfica to make a play for him.
Nunez didn’t exactly get off to a fast start in Portugal, but he still managed to score 14 goals across all competitions in his first season. In the Europa League, five of the goals were scored. The 22-year-old has really come into his own this season, scoring 20 league goals and three Champions League goals.
Manchester City, who have been looking for a striker for almost a year, have taken notice of the centre-scoring forward’s streak. Last summer, the Cityzens came agonisingly close to completing the purchase of Harry Kane, but Spurs refused to sanction the deal. They haven’t struggled as much since missing out on England’s captain, but it is an area where they want to improve.
The centre-forward’s scoring streak has alerted Manchester City, who have been on the lookout for a striker for almost a year now. The Cityzens came excruciatingly close to completing the signing of Harry Kane in the summer window last year, but Spurs didn’t sanction the move. They haven’t quite struggled after missing out on the England captain, but this is an area they want to improve in.
Darwin Núñez during 2021/22 for Benfica:
– 30 appearances
– 1989 minutes played
– 25 goals
– a goal every 79.6 minutesGreat numbers.? pic.twitter.com/ZRlfuWePBO
— Warriors of Uruguay (@UruguayanHeroes) February 28, 2022
On their ranking, Erling Haaland is thought to be at the top. The Borussia Dortmund star is being pursued by the best European clubs, and City, along with Real Madrid and Barcelona, are among them. Since joining Dortmund in 2020, Haaland has continued his goal-scoring prowess in the Westfalenstadion, scoring 80 goals in 79 matches.
According to reports, the 21-year-old has a €75 million release clause in his Dortmund contract, which will be activated after the current season. However, with a slew of other clubs keen in signing the Norwegian, City may be forced to seek elsewhere.
While Kane is a viable possibility, Nunez is considerably less expensive and, at 22 years old, will provide them with a long-term answer to the problem. But it remains to be seen whether the Uruguayan can live up to the early promise he showed at Benfica. For the time being, though, the Uruguayan international, who is also on Arsenal’s and Manchester United’s radars, has found new fans in Manchester City.