Darwin Nunez was tipped to leave Liverpool during the winter transfer window, with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, who Cristiano Ronaldo plays for, interested in signing him
Liverpool turned down more than £62million for Darwin Nunez in January, as Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr chased his signature.
Nunez, 25, was linked with an exit before transfer deadline day amid his third-season struggles at Anfield. The Uruguayan striker, who joined Liverpool from Benfica in 2022 for a club-record fee of £85m, has only scored six goals this term, failing to make himself a regular starter under new manager Arne Slot.
Al-Nassr were reportedly deep in negotiations but eventually turned to Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran. That means Nunez will still be part of Slot’s squad for the second half of this season, as Liverpool chase the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup trophies.
But was it wasn’t cash that was the problem, as Al-Nassr’s second bid in excess of £62m was close to the Liverpool’s valuation of Nunez, according to reports from Italy. The Reds still view Nunez as an important part of Slot’s future plans at Anfield and also didn’t have a replacement lined up going into the final knockings of the winter window.
Those two reasons are why he stayed put, leaving the 25-year-old to keep battling to prove himself on Merseyside. Slot’s comments on Nunez suggest that he still has faith in him, despite only scoring in one game since December 18.
“For me, he has impact,” Slot declared last month. “If you only look at goals, he hasn’t scored the amount of goals that he wants to score, or we want a number nine to score, but he does have impact in his work-rate. He’s part of a team that scores a lot of goals and is winning a lot.
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“Of course, as a number nine you want to score more goals and that’s definitely what he wants as well. But I’m not only judging Mohamed Salah on his goals and Darwin on his goals – I also judge them on their work-rate and what they bring to the team. The fans support him so much that maybe he wants it too much.”
Nunez will hope to hit the back of the net in Wednesday’s Merseyside derby, as Liverpool travel to face Everton at Goodison Park for the final time. The Reds then continue their Premier League title charge at home to Wolves on Sunday afternoon.
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