Barcelona offered Liverpool forward by superagent; player had said yes to club in 2020
With there being some degree of uncertainty surrounding the future of Robert Lewandowski at FC Barcelona heading into the summer, new strikers are being linked to the club.
One name that is doing the rounds as an option to replace the veteran centre-forward is that of Liverpool hitman Darwin Nunez.
The Uruguayan international was even spotted in Catalonia earlier this week with Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo, further fueling speculations about a possible switch.
Nunez offered to Barcelona by Jorge Mendes
Now, SPORT reports that superagent Jorge Mendes has offered Barcelona a chance to sign Darwin Nunez in case Lewandowski does end up leaving the club in the summer.
Nunez has not been able to adapt to English football as expected since his €75 million move to Liverpool from SL Benfica.
As such, both the player and the club are considering a possible exit this summer, especially with a new manager set to come in to replace Jurgen Klopp.
Amidst this, Nunez’s name has been associated with Barcelona, with Mendes, who has good ties at the club, putting forward the Uruguayan’s name as a possible option to replace Lewandowski.
Nunez came close to signing for Barcelona in 2020
Turns out, Barcelona have been tracking Nunez for a long while and even came very close to signing him in 2020.
Indeed, as per the report, the Catalans’ previous sporting director, Ramon Planes, was willing to sign him in 2020 and reached an agreement in principle with the striker’s former club Almeria over a deal worth €8 million plus variables.
Nunez had already said ‘yes’ to Barça and was delighted at the prospect of making the switch from Almeria.
However, Benfica intervened and offered €24 million plus a future sale percentage to Almeria, beating Barça to the punch.
Now, the Catalans could get a second shot at signing Nunez, should Lewandowski leave, although finances could make a deal difficult.