Portuguese club Benfica said on Monday to have reached an agreement with Liverpool to sell the Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez for an initial 75 million euros (£64 million).

The transfer could eventually rise to 100 million euros, Benfica said in a statement, eclipsing Liverpool’s club-record £75 million paid to Southampton for Dutch centre-back Virgil van Dijk in 2018.

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Nunez, who scored 26 goals in 28 league appearances last season in Portugal, was expected to begin a medical on Monday which could take two days to complete.

Personal terms are not anticipated to be a problem, with the player having expressed his desire to play for Reds manager Jurgen Klopp despite interest from Manchester United.

The 22-year-old striker is set to sign a reported six-year contract with Premier League and Champions League runners-up Liverpool, who have been in talks with Benfica for several weeks.

He netted in both legs of Benfica’s Champions League quarter-final defeat against Liverpool in April, earning praise from Klopp.

Nunez is likely to arrive at Anfield as a direct replacement for Sadio Mane after Bayern Munich stepped up their pursuit of the Senegal forward.

However, Liverpool have rejected two offers from the Bundesliga champions. And they are holding out for a fee in excess of £40 million for Mane, who has one year left on his contract.