Liverpool have signed Darwin Nunez from Benfica for a transfer fee which could rise as high as €100m (£86.9m).
The Uruguay international has signed a long-term contract with the Merseyside club and becomes Jurgen Klopp’s second signing of the summer transfer window.
Nunez will join the League Cup and FA Cup holders for an initial fee of €80m (£68.3m), with up to €20m (£17.3m) in add-ons which could make him Liverpool’s record signing, trumping the £75m the club paid for defender Virgil van Dijk from Southampton.
“I’m really happy and delighted to be here at Liverpool. It’s a massive club,” Nunez told Liverpool’s website in his first interview.
“I’d like to thank my partner and my parents and my son, who is a real source of pride for me. They’ve been really important to me in the stages in my career. I’m really proud of them, and for the work we do, me and my partner, as a team and I’m grateful to her that I’m here.
“It’s a pleasure to be here in Liverpool and I’m very happy to be a part of this great club.
“I’ve played against Liverpool and I’ve seen them in lots of games in the Champions League, and it’s my style of play. There are some great players here and I think it’s going to suit my style of play here.
“As I say, I’ve watched quite a lot and it’s a very big club and I hope I can give everything that I’ve got in order to help the team.”
The 22-year-old striker has scored 48 goals in 85 appearances at Benfica after moving from Almeria in September 2020 for €24m.
Nunez, who will wear the No. 27 shirt, added: “When I arrived at the training ground, I was really surprised to see the set-up and the structure and all the trophies here.
“You can then imagine yourself winning more trophies and then later on when you come here again and see the trophies on display, you can say, ‘Look, I was a part of that, I was there at that time, winning trophies.’
“That’s one of the reasons why I came here to Liverpool – to win trophies and titles. I want to win a lot of trophies at Liverpool.”
The Spanish club, who signed Nunez from Penarol in 2019, are due 20 per cent off the profit made by Benfica in the deal.
Nunez’s move to Liverpool will likely see Sadio Mane leave the club. Liverpool have reportedly rejected two bids from Bayern Munich worth up to £30m for the 30-year-old forward. The Senegal international has one year left on his contract.
Mohamed Salah, who picked up the PFA Player of the Year award last week, is expected to see out the remaining year of his Liverpool contract.
Liverpool have also signed youngster Fabio Carvalho from Fulham.