Chelsea thunder into race with Newcastle to sign ex-Liverpool man on £400,000 per week | OneFootball

Darwin Nunez is attracting serious interest from the Premier League, with the latest developments backing up our previous reporting that Newcastle United are in the mix to sign the ex-Liverpool striker.

As TEAMtalk exclusively revealed in February, Nunez began assessing his next move after he was dropped from Al-Hilal’s Pro League squad following the arrival of Karim Benzema.

The 26-year-old is actively looking to leave Saudi Arabia this summer, despite only moving to the Gulf State last August for

Our transfer insider, Graeme Bailey, revealed back on February 21 that Newcastle have held talks with Nunez’s representatives over a potential summer transfer – and so too have Tottenham Hotspur.

The Magpies are looking to strengthen up front after Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa have failed to fill the void that was left by Alexander Isak.

However, Chelsea are also looking to bring in a new striker to compete with Joao Pedro, and according to Football Insider, the London side are ‘plotting’ a move for Uruguayan international Nunez.

The report claims Chelsea are ready to rival Newcastle and Juventus for Nunez’s signature – potentially teeing up a furious battle for his services.

Interestingly, it’s noted that Nunez’s contract with Al-Hilal could be ‘terminated’, meaning he may be available via free agency come the end of this season.

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Newcastle, Chelsea in the mix to sign Darwin Nunez

Football Insider claim that any interested clubs must come close to matching Nunez’s ‘huge contract’ to bring him in. He currently earns a staggering £400,000 per week, according to reports.

However, TEAMtalk insider Bailey reported previously that this may not necessarily be the case.

“To move back to Europe, Nunez would have to give up a huge chunk of wages, but the situation has taken such a turn that it is believed he would be open to that, likely meaning his Saudi Pro League adventure will end after just one year come the summer,” Bailey wrote in February.

The situation is understood to remain the same – giving Nunez’s Premier League suitors further hope that they can bring him back to England.

For now, the forward’s focus will be on the upcoming World Cup finals. If Nunez performs well for Uruguay, that will only increase the level of interest in his signature.

Newcastle are strongly considering a move for Nunez but as the links with Chelsea rumble on, it will be very interesting to see how this story develops in the coming weeks.

Former Chelsea and France star Marcel Desailly has stated that he believes Nunez would be a shrewd signing for the Blues.

“I’m pleased to see him wanting to come back to European football – it shows money isn’t everything. A club like Chelsea, or the new Manchester United, would be best for him.

“He needs to be surrounded by established, confident players who know they’re going to play every weekend and who will give him the ball on the first intention,” Desailly said. Read his full comments HERE.