sport news Liverpool sign Darwin Nunez in huge £85m deal, how did the club's previous ... trends now

Benfica striker Darwin Nunez is set to join a long list of players who have signed for Liverpool in a high-profile transfer that has consisted of an eye-watering amount of money. 

The 22-year-old is close to confirming his deal as Liverpool have reached an agreement with Benfica for €75million (£64m) plus add-ons that could see the fee rise to €100m (£85m).

Should the 22-year-old be announced, he will surpass Virgil van Dijk as the most expensive player in the club's history - smashing yet another transfer record. 

Jurgen Klopp previously called out clubs for spending such large sums of money and even said he would retire from management before spending €100 (£85m) on a player. 

Klopp criticised the then-world record transfer of Pogba from Juventus to Manchester United for €105m (£89m) six years ago are now being used against him.

The German had said: 'If you bring one player in for £100m and he gets injured, then it all goes through the chimney. The day that this is football, I'm not in a job anymore, because the game is about playing together.

'Other clubs can go out and spend more money and collect top players. I want to do it differently. I would even do it differently if I could spend that money.'

So, how do these high profile moves tend to work out and how successful have Liverpool previous transactions been? Sportsmail have looked at Liverpool's 11 most expensive purchases and analysed how they turned out...

KENNY DALGLISH - £440,000

Previous club: Celtic

Kenny Dalglish was just 15 years old when he pulled on a Liverpool shirt for the first time. He was handed a week-long trial at the Merseyside club and featured in his first game for the Liverpool B-team in 1966. 

Dalglish got some minutes under his belt for the reserves when they drew 1-0 to Southport in August of that year. The young starlet enjoyed his experience at Liverpool but went on to sign for Celtic soon after. 

Having excelled in the Scottish top-flight, Dalglish sought after a new challenge (and a higher pay packet). As a result, he approached Liverpool over a potential deal. 

The Merseyside club had just won the European Cup with a 3-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach but looked set to lose several star players. One of particular importance was Kevin Keegan - who agreed to join Hamburg SV. 

Manchester Untied had reportedly offered Dalglish more money to move to Old Trafford but the youngster preferred the idea of joining Liverpool. 

However, Celtic manager Jock Stein made a switch more complicated than Dalglish had hoped. The Scottish boss refused offers of £330,000 and £360,000. 

Liverpool then returned with an offer of £400,000 which was also rejected. However, Stein did say he would accept 10 per cent more. As a result, the two clubs settled on £440,000. 

The deal between Liverpool and Celtic marked a record transfer fee between two British clubs. 

Dalglish made his senior debut for Liverpool on August 13, 1997, when the Reds played against Manchester United in the Charity Shield which finished in a goalless draw.

He went on to make his league debut away to Middlesbrough - with the Liverpool Echo heaping praise on newbie for his contribution. It read: 'The first goal of the game came appropriately enough from the £440,000 feet of Kenny Dalglish'.

Dalglish continued to excel by scoring in his first four games and register seven wins from 11 fixtures to put them two points behind Nottingham Forest - who were the leaders at the time. 

Dalglish also capped off his first season in the club by scoring in the European Cup final. He latched onto Graeme Souness' through-ball before chipping it over Danish goalkeeper Birger Jensen. 

However, it was not always plain sailing for Dalglish. He failed to score in the first nine League games of the 1981-1982 campaign. However, he finally ended an 11 month draught in the League against Brighton on 17 October 1981.

Dalglish was also dropped for the first time in his Liverpool career during the 1984-1985 season when Liverpool faced Tottenham live on Television. Having lost 1-0, Liverpool's manager at the time Joe Fagan described his decision to leave him out as 'stupid' and put him back in the team. 

Nevertheless, Dalglish's campaign at Liverpool was regarded as a success - having been handed the captains armband on occasion. 

He also secured nine Champions League trophies, three FA Cup trophies, two League Cup trophies, three European Cup trophies, two UEFA Cup trophies and 11 Charity Shields. 

MARK LAWRENSON - £900,000

Previous club: Brighton

Mark Lawrenson was scouted by Brighton while playing for his local team, Preston, in 1997. The club offered Lawrenson £100,000 to sign on the dotted line - beating Liverpool to his services. 

Speaking about the transfer race to sign Lawrenson, Former Brighton manager, Alan Mullery, said: 'We outbid Liverpool to get him. I phoned the Preston manager, Harry Catterick, and he told me Liverpool had offered £75,000. 

'Mark was only 19, but when I told Mike [Bamber - Brighton's Chairman] he said offer £100,000. Liverpool weren't prepared to up their bid so we got him and four years later we sold him for a million'.

Brighton went on to sell Lawrenson to Liverpool for a club-record fee for the Merseyside club. The transaction also saw Lawrenson become the most expensive defender in Britain at the time. 

Lawrenson was known for showing remarkable consistency during his Liverpool career - having been selected as a part of the PFA Team of the Year for four seasons running. 

Lawrenson's trophy collection also included: five League titles, one FA Cup, three League Cups and one European Cup. He also scored 18 goals during his 356 appearances. 

However, Lawrenson's career was plagued by injuries. One of the worst came against Wimbledon in 1987 when he ruptured his Achilles tendon. As a result, he was sidelined for five and a half months. 

Lawrenson eventually called it time on his Liverpool career in March 1988 and jumped straight into management. He took charge of Oxford in the same week he announced his retirement. 

However, he only last seven months at the helm after walking out when they club sold their top-scorer Dean Saunders to Derby. 

PETER BEARDSLEY - £1.9m

Previous club: Newcastle

Peter Beardsley's career didn't start out quite like the others. He was rejected by a host of top-flight clubs as they didn't see his potential. Instead he had to hone his skills in the third division with Carlise United. 

However, his hard work paid off - having been handed the North East's Most Promising Newcomer trophy in February 1981. 

Beardsley then moved on to Vancouver Whitecaps before joining to his hometown club Newcastle United. The Magpies only paid £150,000 for his services - making a remarkable profit when they sold him on to Liverpool. 

The Reds were looking to replace Ian Rush and identified Beardsley as their primary target. They were willing to spend over half of the £3.2m to made from Rush's transfer to Juventus. 

As a result, they ended up spending £1.9m on Beardsley - marking another club record transfer fee. However, the striker admitted he would have signed for less. 

The Geordie previously said: 'Kenny was the one who told me to ask for more money when I was ­negotiating my move to Liverpool. I was going to ask for less than I eventually got. 

'He told me I was the club's record signing at the time and so I should be asking for wages that reflected that. I would do anything for that man. The man is a genius'.  

Liverpool fans were delighted with the signing of Beardsley as he lined up alongside Barnes and Aldridge during the 1987-1988 season. 

The Reds went 29 games unbeaten following Beardsley's arrival. He also scored the title winning goal against Tottenham to secure Liverpool's top-flight crown. 

That strike marked one of the 18 goals he scored during his debut campaign - with fans raving about the forward's ability to drop his shoulder and bypass opponents to get in on goal. 

However, it wasn't always plain sailing for Beardsley. He was dropped on several occasions and warmed the bench more often that he would have liked during the 1990-91 season.

But, when called upon, he always performed. 

Beardsley also suffered injures such as tearing the ligaments in his ankle during Steve McManaman's senior debut against Sheffield United in December 1990. 

He also fell out of favour under Graeme Souness - with the Scottish manager favouring their new 1991 signing Dean Saunders from Derby County. 

As a result, he left the club to join Everton.  

DEAN SAUNDERS - £2.9m

Previous club: Derby

Dean Saunders was born with Liverpool blood in his veins as his father Roy used to play as a half-back for the Merseyside club. However, he worked his way through the ranks - featuring for Brighton, Oxford and Derby - before signing for the club.

However, the move to Liverpool did not go as well as he had hoped. He was afforded several opportunities in the first XI but failed to cement himself as a mainstay within the squad. 

He struggled to adjust to the club's style of play and regularly found himself left out of the squad. Derby had a more counter-attacking style of football which suited Saunders' pace, while Liverpool focused on their passing game. 

As a result, Saunders' struggled to find the back of the net regularly. However, he did excel during the UEFA Cup by scoring nine goals in five matches.

Nevertheless, Liverpool decided to cut their losses with Saunders and sold him after just one full season at the club. 

STAN COLLYMORE - £8.5m

Previous club: Nottingham Forest

Stan Collymore rose to stardom during his time at Nottingham Forest. The club paid £2.2m for his services and it was worth every penny as he scored 22 league goals. 

Collymore went on to represent England in 1995 and a month later he signed for Liverpool for a then British record of £8.5m. 

However, Collymore did not have the dream start to his Liverpool career he had hoped for. He only only scored two goals in his first seven games and was pushed further down the pecking order when Rush returned to the team. 

Rush and Robbie Fowler developed a formidable partnership up front - causing concern for Collymore. It was not until Rush was ruled out injured after under going a cartilage operation that Collymore got another look in. 

During that time he managed to find his groove with Fowler. Together they scored a total of 55 goals in the 1995-1996 season. Not bad right? 

Well, unfortunately for Collymore, it didn't last. Liverpool were collectively excelling in 1996 - going top of the table with six wins and two draws - but Collymore had only contributed one goal. 

Collymore understood he was struggling and spoke candidly about this situation. He said: 'I fully admit that my form so far this season could be better. I'm not about to go into the ground and start banging on the manager's door. Shouting your mouth off about being dropped is a big mistake.

'If Forest had ever dropped

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