Darwin Nunez’s former agent Edgardo Lasalvia has admitted “losing” the Liverpool striker almost “broke” him.
The Reds could end up paying a club-record £85 million for the Uruguay forward after he joined from Benfica last summer. However, Lasalvia played no part in the deal as Nunez is now represented by renowned deal-breaker Jorge Mendes.
Prior to joining forces with the Portuguese super-agent, Nunez, while making his name as a youth player, worked with Lasalvia. The striker came through the ranks at Uruguayan outfit Penarol before moving to Spain in 2019.
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In an explosive interview with El Observador, Lasalvia has revealed the two are no longer close - claiming their split came as a shock. He said: “I had no chance to talk to Darwin. I found out when he came with six bodyguards and did not want to speak at the airport.
“I had sent a boy from the company to look for him. There I tried to call him and, on a message from WhatsApp, he told me that he loved me very much, that he would always be my friend, blah blah blah but that he was going to start a new path with another company - and blocked me.”
Lasalvia also claimed karma will haunt Nunez further down the line. Since arriving at Liverpool, the 23-year-old is yet to find his feet in English football - scoring just nine Premier League goals.
“I had no right to reply,” Lasalvia added. “Everyone chooses how they want to live life, but there is karma, and everything comes back.
“He didn’t go with Jorge Mendes, he left with another agent, the same as (Nicolás) Otamendi. When he was in Benfica they did a little job like an ant, they started to eat his head. I got angry when I lost Darwin. It broke me in half because I adore the kid, but I understood that it’s business.”
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