When João Félix moved from Benfica to Atlético de Madrid for a fee of 126 million euros (£ 113 million), many eyebrows were raised with the fare, although Portugal’s prodigy was incredibly well valued.
Three years later, Felix remains one of the three or five most expensive footballers of all time, depending on the transfer rates you use, but even though he has a lot of talent, he still hasn’t met it properly and consistently.
Compensated for the sale of Rodri to Manchester City, Atlético ended up paying 6 million euros more than Felix’s exemption clause to get her husband and made a big impact on the market by doing so.
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Just over 36 months later, Benfica have just taken part in another high-profile sale. Unlike Porto, who could not negotiate too much with Luis Diaz because they needed the money in January, Liverpool have had to work hard to sign 22-year-old Uruguayan striker Darwin Núñez, but this week they have secured their husband.
Benfica is a team known for high prices, not just for Felix. Manchester City paid £ 60m for Ruben Dias in 2020, while three years earlier, Ederson (then only 23; a very young age for a goalkeeper) had cost £ 40m.
Already in 2012, Zenit paid close to £ 40 million to sign Axel Witzel while the Wolves paid £ 34 million for Raúl Jiménez in 2019, a year after Barcelona had spent £ 32 million on Nélson Semedo and Manchester United would have spent similarly on Victor Lindelöf. Ángel Di María cost Real Madrid 30 million pounds in 2010.
What is clear is that Benfica are a tough negotiator and rarely let go of their players for less than their true value. About a year ago, then-Benfica coach Jorge Jesus stated that it would be a higher rate than it cost Félix to sign Núñez.
So while Liverpool have paid £ 64 million upfront (up to £ 85 million including add-ons) for the 22-year-old, they are not only worth it, but they have done very well to get him to this price.
If Liverpool have to pay the full price, they will be happy to do so. The terms of the agreement mean that they will have won major trophies if they do, which in itself provides at least as much revenue as it will cost them.
Although his agreement with Núñez seems expensive at first glance, previous transfers with Benfica put him in a bigger perspective. Add to that the fact that the South American has relatively modest wages at Anfield, and the transfer could still turn out to be a bargain.
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