Erik ten Hag has travelled to Portugal to have a meeting with Jorge Mendes, the agent of Benfica's Darwin Nunez, in an attempt to steal the Benfica striker from under Liverpool's noses, according to reports.
Manchester United have been interested in the 22-year-old's services to battle alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at the top of the pitch.
However, Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool entered the race and are willing to break their transfer record of £75 million, which was spent on Virgil van Dijk in January 2018.
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Benfica have slapped an £85 million price tag on their prized asset after he scored 34 goals in 41 games last season.
It seemed that the deal was slipping out of United's hands, with their priority being the midfield signing of Frenkie de Jong.
However, reports coming out suggest that Ten Hag is not ready to give up the fight for the talented striker.
Pedro Sepulveda of SIC has reported that the new United manager has travelled to Portugal for a meeting with Jorge Mendes, who is the player's agent.
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The manager reportedly flew out at 8:21am on Wednesday morning and will be trying to convince the striker to join his project with the Red Devils.
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The report goes onto mention that Nunez wants to play Champions League football if he is to move clubs, as previously reported by a number of outlets, this could be a stumbling block for United and Ten Hag in negotiations.
Although, it appears that they are starting to overcome this same issue with Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong, after United made their first offer of £68m for the midfielder.
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However, the financial issues at the Spanish club seem to be playing their part in that deal. The report also mentions that Liverpool have a Є100m offer for the player on a five-year deal.
The next hours will be decisive in the Nunez deal, the report goes on to mention. Ten Hag will need to convince the player of the long term project that he is building at Old Trafford.
The latest news from the ever-reliable Fabrizio Romano states that Liverpool are in advanced talks for the striker and have an Є80m verbal bid on the table, Є20m short of the reported price that the previous report suggested.
He also said that Liverpool have discussed personal terms with the forward. However, also mentioning that United are still in contact with his agent, in agreement with the previous report from Sepulveda.
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Romano also claims that the hours ahead are key for the eventual outcome of this battle for the Uruguayan star.
United will need to act quickly if they are going to snatch this deal from their rivals, who faced Nunez in the Champions League last season, where he scored twice against them across the two-legged tie.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Football, Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Darwin Nunez