Paul Joyce confirms Liverpool want to sign €100M superstar - explains what it will take to complete record signing

Paul Joyce has confirmed that Liverpool want to sign Darwin Nunez from Benfica but reports that "it will take a club-record fee of about £85Million" to recruit him.

Manchester United are also interested but with Nunez on Jurgen Klopp's list of Sadio Mane replacements, the Reds are considered to be favourites.

Benfica want to make a major profit on Nunez after signing him from Almeria for €24Million as they look to recoup a €100Million fee for his signature.

Signing Nunez for €100M (£85M) would shatter Liverpool's club-record fee of £75M paid to sign Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in 2018.

It would also be £20M more than the £65M paid to sign Alisson Becker from AS Roma the same year.

Joyce rubbished a report from Record which states that Liverpool have already bid €100M (£85M) and says that the Merseysiders will continue to look at other targets.

Following that, he added that "the possibility of moving to Merseyside and working with Klopp will appeal to Núñez."

It would seem as though all the journalists with close ties to Liverpool have been briefed that the Reds will "not get drawn into a bidding war."

Liverpool had an up-close look at Nunez this season when he scored a goal in each leg against the Reds in the Champions League quarterfinals.

All in all, he scored 26 goals in 28 Liga Portugal appearances as well as 6 in 10 Champions League matches.

Just against Liverpool, Nunez could have had a couple more but Alisson Becker denied him on a handful of occasions.

The Uruguayan would be a stellar signing but £85million is a bit excessive for a player with just one season at senior level.