Darwin Nunez at a press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz Seixal, 10/28/2020 - Darwin Nunez, SL Benfica player during the press conference before the game with Standard Liege, at Benfica Campus, in Seixal. PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxONLY xCarlosxCostax
According to ESPN sources, Barcelona have identified Darwin Nunez as a possible replacement for Luis Suarez. The player has been a target for Barca for a while now but he made the move to Benfica in the summer. Nonetheless, the Blaugrana still kept an eye on him as an alternative to Memphis Depay.
Born in Artigas, Uruguay, Nunez began his footballing journey at the academy of La Luz and spent time with San Miguel de Artigas before joining Penarol. He made his senior debut for the Uruguayan giants in November 2017 at the age of 18. The striker went on to feature 22 times for the first-team, scoring four goals in the process. (h/t Transfermarkt)
Last summer saw Nunez make the jump from Uruguay to Spain, as he signed for La Liga 2 side UD Almeria. In his debut season with the Spanish second division side, the 21-year-old made a strong impression.
That led to a move to SL Benfica. Since then, he has taken off spectacularly with 9 goal contributions in just 9 games. The youngster was a regular of the Uruguay youth team and is now a part of the senior team as well, with two caps and one goal so far.
After the departure of Luis Suarez to Atletico Madrid (source – Independent), the club only have Martin Brathwaite to call on as a natural centre-forward. Griezmann does play in the attack but he is more suited to a second-striker position.
The absence of a No.9 is clearly visible as Griezmann and Fati like to stay out wide while Messi drops into the midfield. While the system isn’t bad per se and seems to be working for now, the club do need someone to replace Suarez and his goal contributions.
This is where Nunez comes in. He has posted phenomenal numbers in the opening few weeks of the season and looks set to continue in the same way. Barca should really consider the possibility of signing Nunez from Benfica in the next transfer window or even next summer. He looks the real deal in terms of a forward and can play the role of a playmaker as well.
With the absence of a prolific No.9, Darwin Nunez would be a good signing for Barcelona. He looks like a natural replacement for Luis Suarez in more ways than one.