Former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell has suggested that Benfica striker Darwin Nunez could prove to be a risky signing for Liverpool. The 52-year-old has insisted that the Reds will have to do their due diligence on the 22-year-old Uruguayan hitman.
Nunez has been on fire for the Eagles this season, having found the back of the net on 25 occasions in 30 games across all competitions. It is hardly a surprise to see the young striker attracting interest from clubs across Europe and particularly from the Premier League.
Liverpool are said to be closely monitoring the situation of the dynamic attacker, who has been likened to former Reds hero Luis Suarez.
However, Campbell has his doubts on whether he would be a good addition to Jurgen Klopp's side. He insists that even though the Uruguay international is a proven goalscorer, Liverpool still need to thoroughly research his game before signing him.
The former Everton forward told Football Insider:
“What has to happen is, you have to do your due diligence on the player. Does he know where the net is? 100 per cent. What you tend to look at though is his all-round game.You need to check him out and find out what kind of character he is."
Valued at around £55 million by Benfica, Nunez has a huge list of admirers across England and was the subject of failed bids from West Ham and Brighton over the last 12 months.
Capped eight times by Uruguay already, the 22-year-old is currently leading the scoring charts in the Primeira Liga with 20 goals in 20 games. However, Campbell has warned that signing a player from the Portuguese league is always a risk.
“It is always a risk though, signing a player from the Portuguese league. You hope that you have all of your ducks in a row but there are no guarantees," Campbell continued.
“There will be quite a few clubs interested in Nunez given his goal output. It will be interesting to see who meets Benfica’s demands in the summer. He is definitely a sought after player,” he added.
Do Liverpool need Darwin Nunez?
At the moment, Liverpool arguably have a deep squad. Jurgen Klopp has a plethora of attacking options at his disposal and it's really hard to find any room for an emerging striker like Darwin Nunez.
However, things could change over the next 18 months with the trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane all having their contracts expiring in the summer of 2023.
We have to wait and see how Liverpool deal with the situation and Nunez could prove to be a solid replacement for either of the trio if the Reds need to find a solution in the transfer market.