Barcelona sporting director Ramon Planes is working on a move for Darwin Nunez in the hopes that the transfer will be ratified by the club's incoming president, according to ESPN's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens.

Nunez, 21, was reportedly interesting Barcelona in the summer before he elected to join Benfica for around €24 million from Almeria in Spain's second tier. The Uruguayan striker is apparently viewed as a potential long-term replacement for compatriot Luis Suarez, who left for Atletico Madrid in September.

Barcelona named Carles Tusquets as their interim president last week, but he doesn't have the authority to rubber-stamp decisions with long-term significance to the club. A new president and board will be elected within the next three months.

Planes is structuring deals that could broker Nunez's arrival as soon as January or next summer, Marsden and Llorens understand.

Signing Nunez would be evidence of Barca trying to rebuild for the future amid significant financial losses. Those shortfalls made it harder to broker transfers for Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez and Lyon's Memphis Depay in the summer, but the club could still complete moves for Depay and Manchester City defender Eric Garcia as their respective contracts expire in June.