Liverpool are closing in on a deal to bring Benfica striker Darwin Nunez to the club in a deal worth £85 million.
It has been widely reported that the Anfield club will pay the Portuguese side £64 million up front and an extra £21 million will be paid in potential performance related add ons. It is believed that Nunez will sign a six year deal with the Reds.
His transfer fee has the potential to become the club’s record transfer, but where does Nunez rank amongst Liverpool’s top earners?
It is well documented that the wage structure in place at Liverpool is very strict, the club are reluctant to break their structure for any players, over the last few years this has seen players like Emre Can and Gini Wijnaldum move on at the end of their contracts after failing to agree a new deal with the club.
And their wage structure has put the futures of star forwards Mo Salah and Sadio Mane in doubt, with Mane likely to be moved on soon after the Nunez deal is announced.
The top earner at the club currently takes home £220,000 per week, and it is unsurprisingly Virgil van Dijk who gets paid the most, his importance to Jurgen Klopp’s side is beyond words.
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Coming in close behind the centre back is Salah, who shares second spot with Spanish midfield general Thiago Alcantara, with both players earning £200,000 per week.
According to journalist Pedro Sepulveda, Nunez will earn a weekly wage of £98,285 on Merseyside, which ranks him 15th in the list of top earners within the club. He will earn more than January signing from Porto, Luis Diaz, who takes home £56,000 a week according to The Mirror.
22-year-old Nunez played against Klopp’s Liverpool in their Champions League quarter final clash. Despite scoring in both legs, Benfica were beaten 6-4 on aggregate.
His performance did catch the German’s eye.
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Klopp said: “Extremely good-looking boy, eh? And a decent player as well.”
“Really good, really good, you have to say: physically strong, quick, plus calm around his finish, when he finished the goal off he was really calm. If he stays healthy it’s a big career ahead of him.”
In the 21/22 season, Nunez scored 34 goals in 41 appearances for Benfica in all competitions, as a result catching the eye of big clubs around Europe including Manchester United and Real Madrid, but it soon became clear that the striker has chosen Liverpool as his next club.
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Liverpool's list of top earners: According to Sportrac and other sources.
25. Caoimhin Kelleher – £6,000-a-week
24. Curtis Jones – £7,500-a-week
23. Harvey Elliott – £21,000-a-week
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22. Adrian – £58,000-a-week
21. Luis Diaz – £56,000-a-week (per the Mirror)
20. Konstantinos Tsimikas – £60,000-a-week
19. Ibrahima Konate – £70,000-a-week
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=18. Takumi Minamino – £75,000-a-week
=18. Joe Gomez – £75,000-a-week
16. Diogo Jota – £90,385-a-week
15. Darwin Nunez – £98,285-a-week
=12. Joel Matip – £100,000-a-week
=12. Sadio Mane – £100,000-a-week
=12. Andrew Robertson – £100,000-a-week
=10. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – £120,000-a-week
=10. Naby Keita – £120,000-a-week
=8. James Milner – £140,000-a-week
=8. Jordan Henderson – £140,000-a-week
7. Alisson Becker – £150,000-a-week
=4. Fabinho – £180,000-a-week
=4. Roberto Firmino – £180,000-a-week
=4. Trent Alexander-Arnold – £180,000-a-week
=2. Mohamed Salah – £200,000-a-week
=2. Thiago Alcantara – £200,000-a-week
1.Virgil van Dijk – £220,000-a-week
Topics: Football, Liverpool, Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah
Marcus Chan