Newcastle United have submitted a bid for Benfica striker Darwin Nunez, according to French outlet Foot Mercato.
Nunez has scored an impressive 32 goals in 37 games across all competitions this season, including six in the Champions League, and has put several top European clubs on alert with his goalscoring prowess.
Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United are believed to be leading the race for the 22-year-old also wanted by Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Manchester United.
However, Newcastle now seek to jump the queue by making the first official offer for the highly in-demand forward which is believed to be north of €60million.
Fabrizio Romano claimed that Nunez would be allowed to leave for a fee in the region of €80m and the Uruguayan recently changed his agent to Jorge Mendes in anticipation of a move this summer.
Newcastle are looking to add an elite striker to their ranks in the upcoming market and have scouted Nunez, per The Athletic’s Chris Waugh in a recent edition of Pod On The Tyne.
Waugh also admitted that he was surprised no move was made in January as the Magpies had been keeping tabs on Nunez for some time now.
“He’s someone Newcastle, certainly Steve Nickson the head of recruitment has liked for a long while, they’ve watched a lot,” Waugh said.
“There was almost a surprise in January that they didn’t make a bid in the end because there has been a lot of interest. They’ve watched him extensively.”
While Newcastle now boast a huge financial muscle, the Magpies face stiff competition from many of Europe’s elite clubs, who can offer Nunez Champions League football next season.
This could be the Magpies’ ultimate undoing and they may have to look elsewhere in their hunt for a new marksman.
