Romano: €30m Man United reason gave Liverpool a clear run at Darwin Nunez

Fabrizio Romano: Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag won’t have many regrets about Liverpool signing Darwin Nunez

Writing in his exclusive column for Caught Offside, Fabrizio Romano claimed that Manchester United were effectively priced out of a move for Darwin Nunez, who is set to become a Liverpool player.

The race to sign the 22-year-old star heated up in recent weeks but the Reds have seemingly won the battle. They have agreed on a €100million package for Nunez, which is €30million more than what Man Utd thought it would cost them- according to Romano, who writes:

“Erik ten Hag had mentioned the Uruguay international in his meetings with the Manchester United board, but he is not disappointed because he knows that spending a €100m package for the 22-year-old risked compromising the club’s strategies.”

Manchester United have a clear need to strengthen up front. With Cristiano Ronaldo’s age and Edinson Cavani’s potential departure, they would be short of options up front.

Romano confirms Man Utd reason for Nunez exit

Add to that Mason Greenwood’s suspension and Marcus Rashford’s poor form last season. Hence, it is logical to see why ten Hag was eager to sign the former UD Almeria striker, but the club did not think it would cost them such an amount, according to the Italian transfer expert.

“Manchester United certainly tried to sign Darwin, and they were still in contact with his agent until Friday, but they considered Nunez a €70m target, not €100m.”

It is great to see the Reds outmuscle arguably their biggest rival in the race for a top striker such as Nunez. It only underlines how much the tide has shifted between Manchester and Liverpool in the years following Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013.

Both Erik ten Hag and Jurgen Klopp had first-row seats to watch Nunez in action this season when Benfica faced Ajax and Liverpool respectively. The Uruguayan international scored the goal to help the Eagles progress to the last eight against ten Hag’s men.

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They faced Liverpool in the next stage, but despite Nunez’s brace, they succumbed to a defeat on aggregate. Now, it seems like he will take part in the same competition next season, just in a different shade of Red- Liverpool Red.