West Ham are continuing to hold talks with Benfica over a deadline-day deal for Darwin Nunez.
The 22-year-old has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence after making his full international debut for Uruguay in 2019, and his goalscoring record for Benfica this season is exceptional.
Nunez has bagged 15 goals in 16 Primeira Liga games, adding three strikes in six Champions League group stage appearances to help Benfica qualify for the knockout rounds at the expense of Barcelona.
90min revealed late on Sunday that West Ham had opened talks over a dramatic late move for Nunez – who has been previously been linked to Arsenal, Newcastle and Brighton among others – and negotiations will continue on deadline day over a deal worth €60m.
Nunez is interested in moving to the London Stadium, despite reports elsewhere suggesting otherwise, and although it will be difficult for West Ham to pull off a deal at this late stage of the window, there is optimism that an agreement can be reached.
One potential complication is the completion of a medical, should terms be agreed with Benfica and with the player, as Nunez is currently in South America on international duty.
That makes it impossible for the Hammers to fly out their own medical personnel to conduct tests, but 90min has learned that West Ham intend to use the same staff who will oversee Rodrigo Bentancur’s medical checks prior to his move to Tottenham.
Nunez isn’t the only signing West Ham are pursuing on the final day of the window, with manager David Moyes also hopeful of bringing in an additional centre-back.
Marseille’s Duje Caleta-Car is his primary target, and talks are continuing to drag on with the Ligue 1 giants over a loan deal with option to buy.