Liverpool are due to pay Benfica an extra £8.5million for Darwin Nunez after he made his 60th appearance for the club in their 1-1 Premier League draw at Manchester City on Saturday afternoon.
The 24-year-old was involved in a heated post-match confrontation with Pep Guardiola after helping his side earn a valuable point.
Nunez failed to replicate the ruthless form he displayed during the international break for Uruguay, when he fired three goals in two games, despite forcing several saves from Ederson.
Nunez joined the Reds in a club-record deal worth up to £85m from Portuguese giants Benfica back in the summer of 2022.
Yet only £64m of that figure was paid upfront with the remaining £21m made up of add-ons.
Liverpool paid Benfica £4.3m after Nunez made 10 appearances and they’re now set to cough up another £8.5m following the landmark.
The final £8.5m will “depend on the individual and collective performance of the team throughout the contract.”
Nunez has registered 12 goals and seven assists in 16 starts for club and country this season. He has struck 22 times in 60 outings under Jurgen Klopp and also provided 10 assists.
Klopp said of the centre-forward’s coming together with Guardiola after full-time: “I’m not sure I’m the one who should explain it. I wasn’t the one involved – surprisingly. I love them both and I was just trying to keep them apart.
“I didn’t understand a word but it’s emotion. That’s all. Pep wants to win, we want to win.”
Guardiola told Sky Sports that “nothing happened” then added in his press conference: “He is stronger than me! There is no problem.”
