"Manchester United certainly tried" - Fabrizio Romano explains why the Red Devils backed out of signing Liverpool new boy Darwin Nunez

Manchester United reportedly tried to sign Darwin Nunez from Benfica, but Liverpool eventually won the race for his signature. The Red Devils were keen on the forward but were not willing to sign him on a '€100m package'.

As per Fabrizio Romano in his CaughtOffside column, Erik ten Hag wanted Nunez as one of his signings this summer. However, the Dutchman is not disappointed that the centre-forward is joining Liverpool as he did not want to spend a huge chunk of his transfer budget on just one player.

The report adds that Manchester United did not feel the player was worth over €70 million. Liverpool are now set to sign the forward for a reported €75 million fee, with the add-ons taking the total sum to around €100 million.

In his column, Romano wrote:

"The agreement between Liverpool and Benfica was reached on Saturday morning in a meeting in Lisbon, there were no problems. Jurgen Klopp spoke to the player in person during the Champions League match of the season just ended, and then again in the last few days. As reports have claimed, there was a chat with Virgil van Dijk before those two games, but my understanding is that Klopp is the main man who made a difference in the negotiation."

Mentioning the Red Devils' interest in Nunez, he added:

"As for Manchester United's interest in Nunez, Erik ten Hag had mentioned the Uruguay international in his meetings with the 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.

"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. They will still look to sign a new striker, but a decision will also depend on who can leave the club, such as Anthony Martial."

Liverpool beat Manchester United to Darwin Nunez.

Liverpool have agreed a €100 million deal to sign Manchester United target Darwin Nunez from Benfica.

The Portuguese side have confirmed the transfer, which is now subject to the Uruguayan forward completing his medical and agreeing personal terms with the Reds.

Almeria will receive 20% of the profit from the transfer of Nunez as per a clause agreed between the clubs when he joined the Portuguese side in 2019.