JURGEN KLOPP is confident he will beat Manchester United to land hitman Darwin Nunez.
Liverpool are ready with a package worth £75million — an initial £68m fee plus add-ons — to beat their rivals to the Benfica striker.
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Benfica hero Darwin Nunez is tipped to choose Liverpool ahead of Man UnitedCredit: Getty
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Jurgen Klopp could soon be celebrating victory in the hunt for Darwin NunezCredit: Getty
But Klopp knows Anfield owners FSG do not want to break the £75m club record fee they paid for Virgil van Dijk, despite the Portuguese side demanding £85m.
Uruguay hero Nunez, 22, is also a target for new United boss Erik ten Hag but they do not want to be dragged into a bidding war.
Newcastle, boosted by their Saudi riches, are willing to pay the asking price for Nunez, who scored 32 goals last season.
But Man Utd and Newcastle know that the lure of Champions League football at Anfield is likely to rule them out.
Klopp wants Nunez to replace Sadio Mane who is bound for Bayern Munich despite his £390,000-a-week wage demands have become a stumbling block.
The German giants yesterday had a second bid for Mane – out of contract next summer – worth up to £30m rejected.
Liverpool view the £6.5m in potential add-ons as unrealistically attainable.
Klopp is understood to have already held private discussions with Nunez’s representatives.
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And they have made it clear that he would prefer a move to Merseyside ahead of their Premier League rivals.
The Reds also have to guard against losing Mo Salah next summer with no sign that the record-breaking scorer will agree a new deal.
Salah, 29, has only one year left on his contract and continues to hold out for £350,000 a week – £100,000 a week more than highest earner
