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Brazil great Cafu has backed Darwin Nunez to succeed should he join Liverpool, given the Reds’ recent purchasing history and coaching ability of Jurgen Klopp.
Sadio Mane has been subject of repeated interest from Bayern Munich, with the Bundesliga champions attempting to secure the services of the Senegal international.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side are reported to have had a second bid for the Liverpool forward rejected earlier this week, but Bayern are expected to persist with their advances.
Mane’s exit would open the door for Liverpool to sign Nunez, who has been heavily linked with a big-money move to Anfield that could be worth up to €100million (£85m).
Nunez has scored 48 goals in 85 games for Benfica in all competitions and averaged 1.2 goals every 90 minutes in the Portuguese Primeira Liga last season.
The 22-year-old managed 34 goals in 41 games in all competitions last campaign, including six Champions League strikes against Barcelona, Bayern, Ajax and Liverpool.
After the success of signings such as Mohamed Salah, Mane and Alisson, along with more recent transfers such as Thiago and Luis Diaz, Cafu believes Liverpool rarely get things wrong in the transfer market.
“Look, every time Liverpool acquires a player, it’s a spot-on purchase,” Cafu told Stats Perform at a media day ahead of his participation in Sunday’s Soccer Aid charity match.
“Klopp is a very, very smart coach, very good, he’s been doing well at Liverpool for many years, if he wants to get this player it’s because Liverpool really wants to bet a lot on him.”
Cafu also discussed the success of his former side Roma, who lifted their first major European trophy with Europa Conference League success under Jose Mourinho this term.
That was the Giallorossi’s first title in any competition since the Coppa Italia in 2008 and Cafu, who won the Scudetto with Roma in 2001, expressed his delight to see his former team triumphing.
“Yes, it’s difficult but not impossible [winning trophies in Rome]. We won, we celebrated, we’ve been celebrating until today,” he added.
“Congratulations to Mourinho and the whole team, which has a great season this year, getting to win the Conference League, and let’s hope they can continue this way.
“It’s a place where, when they win, they celebrate for a long time. I hope they’re very happy of this season.”
However, Cafu refused to make comparisons between Mourinho’s winning team and the Roma side he played in.
“It’s not that we were stronger, you just can’t compare,” he continued. “It was a team that won the Scudetto, we won a lot of great things, this team won as well, but you can’t compare a winning team.”
