Liverpool are on the verge of making Darwin Nunez their new record signing.
Nunez became a prime target for Jurgen Klopp’s side to replace the outgoing Sadio Mane, who is still hopeful of joining Bayern Munich this summer.
A deal to bring the Uruguay international to Merseyside was finally struck between the Reds’ sporting director Julian Ward and Benfica at the weekend.
Anfield chiefs will pay an initial £64 million with a further £12.8M dependent on appearances and a further £8.5M conditional on the club’s future success.
Should all those objectives be fulfilled, Nunez will become Liverpool’s all-time record signing at just over £85M, eclipsing the £75m paid for Virgil van Dijk.
According to the Times, Van Dijk was key in persuading the 22-year-old to join him, with conversations during April’s Champions League quarter-final.
Nunez is currently in Madrid ahead of a planned medical, expected to take place on Monday, and signing a six-year deal worth £120,000 per week.
Mane, meanwhile, is waiting on Bayern to meet Liverpool’s £42.5M valuation of him before bringing a six-year spell with Klopp’s side to a surprise end.
Two bids of £25M and £30M from the Bundesliga champions were already turned down, with the latter heavily skewed by performance-related clauses.
Mane would need to win both the Champions League and Ballon d’Or in each of the next three seasons at the Allianz Arena to be worth the full amount.
The Senegalese forward has 12 months remaining on his existing deal at Anfield, as do his attacking cohorts Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.