Barcelona interested in Uruguayan striker, Benfica demand €80 million

With their pursuit of Erling Haaland seemingly falling apart, Barcelona have started looking at alternatives for the Norwegian international ahead of the summer transfer window.

And, as per the latest report from SPORT, SL Benfica’s Uruguayan forward Darwin Nunez has emerged as a prospective target for the Blaugrana.

Nunez has been with Benfica since 2020 and after a decent debut season, he has burst into life in the current campaign. The 22-year-old has scored 26 goals in 33 matches across all competitions this term, which includes a brace against Barça in the UEFA Champions League group stages.

The Uruguayan was the difference-maker for Benfica as they beat Ajax 1-0 on Tuesday to qualify for the UCL quarter-finals. Barcelona’s advisor, Jordi Cruyff, was in attendance during that game to keep tabs on the forward and is believed to have been left mightily impressed.

The Catalan giants had made a play to sign Nunez back in 2020 when he was still at UD Almeria. Ramon Planes, who was the technical secretary at the time, was working to strike a deal with the La Liga 2 club before Benfica swooped in to sign the former Penarol starlet.

Having signed the attacker for just over €20 million, Benfica are now demanding a massive sum of €80 million for their prized asset ahead of the summer window.

Barcelona are unwilling to shell out more than €50 million for the young striker despite being won over by his qualities and potential. The La Liga giants believe that another of their targets, Alexander Isak of Real Sociedad, would be available for that figure and do not want to end up overpaying.

Nunez is contracted with Benfica until the summer of 2025. So, they are in a strong negotiating position and might be unwilling to lower their demands, especially with the 22-year-old also attracting interest from clubs in the Premier League.