Klopp and Van Dijk had vital role in persuading Nunez to make Liverpool switch

Jurgen Klopp and Virgil van Dijk both played a crucial role in persuading Darwin Nunez to join Liverpool, according to the Sunday Times.

The Uruguayan forward is expected to finalise a club record £85million move to Anfield next week with the striker's medical set for Monday.

Despite emerging as a transfer target for both Manchester United and Newcastle United, Nunez has settled on a move to Merseyside after talking with the Liverpool contingent after a Champions League game last year.

According to reports, both Klopp and van Dijk spoke with the striker after their Champions League quarter-final clash against Benfica in April - where Nunez scored two goals in the tie.

Two months later, the 22-year-old forward is now expected to come become the most expensive player in Liverpool's history - smashing van Dijk's £75 million move from Southampton in 2018.

The club's director of football, Julian Ward, has been in Portugal over the weekend to finalise the record deal that could rise to £85m.

Liverpool will pay an initial €75 million (£64 million) for Núñez with a further £12.8 million potentially linked to appearances and £8.5 million based on the forward performing in a successful team.

Everything is sorted in terms of personal terms and Nunez will sign a six-year contract, worth more than £6million per year or roughly £120,000-a-week.

His former club Almeria are due to receive 20 per cent of any transfer profit above the £20.4 million Benfica paid for him in 2020.

The Uruguayan did not feature in his national side's game with Panama yesterday as he prepares for medical tests to start tomorrow in Madrid.

In the last six months, Nunez has drawn interest from a number of Premier League clubs and was subject to a sensational last-minute bid from West Ham in the recent January window.