Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is said to have been blown away by just how good Darwin Nunez was in the Reds' Champions League quarter-final against Benfica last season.
Nunez signed for Liverpool last month in a deal that could set them back €100m if all conditional clauses are met, which would make him the club's record signing.
The 23-year-old's second and final season at Benfica prompted Liverpool to follow up on their long-term interest, with the Uruguayan scoring 34 goals in 41 games in all competitions and winning Liga Portugal's Player of the Year award.
But it was Nunez's showings against Liverpool in the Champions League in which he scored home and away that convinced Klopp that the forward was the real deal, according to Fabrizio Romano.
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"This Darwin Nunez story started a long time ago," Romano said on his YouTube channel.
"It’s true that Darwin had a fantastic impact against Liverpool in the Champions League games and Jurgen Klopp is a big fan of checking players in the real games in the face-to-face games, with his own Liverpool and he was really surprised by the impact of this fantastic striker.
"In the Liverpool scouting department, they have been big fans of Darwin Nunez [for a] long time. They consider him the new [Edinson] Cavani."
Nunez was wanted by a host of Premier League clubs, but Liverpool won the race for his signature after submitting their mammoth bid of an initial €75m.
Source : 90min