Both Southampton and Tottenham were thought to be after young striker Darwin Nunez in the summer.
The Saints and Spurs were both linked with the forward during the recent transfer window, however, the former UD Almeria striker eventually signed for Benfica in September.
Nunez, who has already provided five league assists in four games, opened his goalscoring account for his new side in the Europa League with a hat-trick against Lech Poznan in a 4-2 win.
That led to some interesting comments from head coach Jorge Jesus after the game.
Talking to SportTV, cited by Goal, Jesus stated that he believes Nunez’s eventual Benfica departure will surpass the club-record £113million they received from Atletico Madrid for Joao Felix last year.
All this decision-making ability, finishing and speed…He was Benfica’s most expensive purchase, and when there is no pandemic, he will be the most expensive sale. He will be a world-class player.
Unfortunately for me, maybe I will lose him in a short time.
Read Southampton verdict
Even though Jesus believes he may lose Nunez ‘in a short time’, we feel that both The Saints and Spurs have missed the boat in their pursuit of the 21-year-old.
You’d expect both clubs would find it impossible to put a financial package together to afford him, and that their main attempt to land the Uruguayan has been and gone.
We feel that only Europe’s elite will realistically be able to make their move, and with such high praise following a brilliant European display, maybe another big-money move could be on the horizon.
