Liverpool moved a step closer to securing the services of Darwin Nunez after the Uruguayan marksman agreed to personal terms with the club, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein and James Pearce.

The English giants didn’t balk at Benfica’s €100-million asking price and are therefore expected to smash their club transfer record to sign Nunez.

Discussions are ongoing over the structure of the deal, but it’s widely reported to be worth €80 million up front with a further €20 million in performance-related add-ons.

Despite Liverpool appearing to be in pole position to sign the forward, Manchester United are prepared to compete for Nunez’s signature, sources told ESPN’s Rob Dawson. However, United will play in the Europa League in the 2022-23 season, while Nunez wants Champions League football.

Liverpool are prepared to trump their current club-record fee of £75 million for Virgil van Dijk in 2018 to sign a player whose reputation skyrocketed last season. Nunez scored 34 goals in 41 appearances across all competitions while playing centrally or to the left of the attack.

He could be an automatic replacement for Sadio Mane, who’s apparently attracted two unsuccessful bids from Bayern Munich this summer. The German club is expected to return with a third offer.

Benfica developed some of the Premier League’s biggest stars down the years, including Manchester City’s current stable of Ederson, Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, and Bernardo Silva. Nunez joined Benfica from Spanish side Almeria for €24 million as a raw 20-year-old in 2020 and quickly established himself as the next big name to emerge from the Estadio da Luz.

He’s scored twice in 11 appearances for Uruguay – often playing as an understudy to veterans Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez.