Sky Sports punditSky Sports pundit Alex McLeish is excited about the thought of Liverpool completing a deal for Benfica striker Darwin Nunez, who he says could be yet 'another' top signing by the Reds.

The Lowdown: Liverpool close to agreement

The Uruguayan first put pen to paper on a deal with the Primeira Liga outfit when he joined the club in a £21.6m move from UD Almeria two years ago, and despite his contract with the Portuguese side not being set to expire until 2025, the 22-year-old has been linked with a move away from the Estadio da Luz.

Jurgen Klopp and Co, alongside top-flight rivals Manchester United, are both interested in his services.

After further developments, it’s been reported that the Merseysiders look to have won the race for his signature and are now close to reaching a full agreement with the forward ahead of a potential summer move.

The Latest: McLeish backs Nunez to shine

McLeish suggested that Nunez would have to prove himself in Liverpool’s starting XI, but says he's heard really good things about the level he could reach, pondering whether he could even eventually be 'another (Sadio) Mane'.

He told Football Insider: “For any player coming from any other country in the world to play in the English Premier League is a leap.

“The thing is that Mane and Salah have all proved their worth. That’s what Nunez will have to do, come in and prove that.

“We can’t speculate about him and say he’ll definitely come in and be another Mane. At the same time, there seems to be a good crop of players in Portugal.

“I’ve got a pal out there, he watches the Portuguese league every week. He keeps waxing lyrical about the quality of a lot of the play and indeed the players.

“If Liverpool are going for a guy like that, you would tend to think that this guy is some player. We’ve seen him, of course, but they will have assessed the whole picture, as they do very well.

“It’s rare that Liverpool are making mistakes in the transfer window.”

The Verdict: Perfect attacking addition

With Mane’s future at Anfield currently up in the air, Klopp will be wanting to find a suitable replacement in case the Senegalese star does depart ahead of the start of the new season, and Nunez possesses the qualities to fill that role perfectly.

The £49.5m-rated talisman was hitting the back of the net for fun this campaign, having scored 34 goals and provided four assists in just 41 appearances for Benfica, as per Transfermarkt, showing just how much of a threat and handful he can be for defenders in the final third.

The 6 foot 2 talent would surely flourish playing in the Premier League and is the ideal addition to the Reds’ attacking ranks, where there’s a very strong possibility that we won't see Mane ever again.

In other news… a BBC pundit has claimed that Liverpool will be ‘raging’ after hearing a Mo Salah update.