Man Utd and Liverpool set for second transfer tussle after Darwin Nunez as Italian starlet

Liverpool and Manchester United are set to go toe-to-toe in their second transfer battle of the summer following the chase for Benfica star Darwin Nunez – with Udinese prodigy Simone Pafundi reportedly on the radar.

United registered an interest in signing Nunez, and harboured hopes of signing the Uruguayan with a striker needed at Old Trafford this summer. But Liverpool’s qualification for the Champions League came up trumps, and a move for the striker was easy to complete from there, with United focussing their attentions elsewhere.

A senior striker is still required at the Theatre of Dreams, although other targets are still being pursued. And one of those could be Pafundi, who is hot on the trail of a plethora of English teams according to The Sun.

The report states that United, Liverpool, Leicester and Everton are amongst those interested in the Udinese youngster. The attacking midfielder made his senior debut last month, and became the first player born in 2006 to play in the league.

He was called up to the Italian side at a training camp with Roberto Mancini a huge fan of his talents. And that has prompted United and Liverpool, alongside Barcelona, Real Madrid and other European clubs to cast an eye over his development.

The publication goes on to state that English clubs cannot make a bid for him until he is 18 as per Brexit laws, making the task harder for clubs to bring him in to youth teams earlier. However, that will give them due diligence as to whether he could handle the physicality of the Premier League.

Jurgen Klopp has already administered the signing of Fulham whizz-kid Fabio Carvalho, and is supposedly weighing up a move for Aberdeen star Calvin Ramsay as he looks to improve the average age of his squad. And if the Nunez signing is anything to go by, the club will be welcoming the Italian talent to Anfield in two year’s time.

source: express.co.uk