Report: Benfica lower asking price for potential Bayern Munich target Darwin Núñez

When rumors first started to circulate suggesting Robert Lewandowski wants to leave Bayern Munich this summer, Benfica’s Darwin Núñez came up as replacement. He’s much younger than Lewandowski and far less experienced, but the 22-year old Uruguayan is one of the most sought after young talents in Europe, having scored 34 goals and provided 4 assists from a total of 41 appearances across all competitions for Benfica this season. One of said goals came against Bayern the second time they squared off in the Champions League group stages back in November.

Núñez’s contract at Benfica runs through June 2025, so it was initially understood that acquiring his services would cost roughly 80-million euros. Benfica knows there is a 150 million euro release clause in his contract, but they realize his market value is around 40 million, so that’s why they would consider letting him go for 80 million. However, per a new report from The Athletic (via Tz), the Portuguese giants could now be considering letting him go for even less than that.

Per the report, Benfica is prepared to consider offers of around 60 million euros for their star striker. For Bayern, this could potentially reopen their interest in the Uruguayan. Sixty million is a number that could, in theory, be far more feasible for the club when considering the funds Lewandowski could potentially generate with a sale to Barcelona this summer. Not to mention, Núñez would be on less wages at Bayern than Lewandowski currently is.

As ironic fate would have it, much like both Bayern and Borussia Dortmund, Benfica is also keen on trying to sign VfB Stuttgart’s Sasa Kalajdzic to act as a Núñez replacement, should he definitely be sold this summer. The Stuttgart striker has reportedly been leaning more towards a move to Dortmund, but nothing is a concrete at this point and all options are still on the table for all parties.