Liverpool is prepared to incur a significant financial loss on Darwin Nunez this summer if it facilitates the transfer of the underperforming striker, with a reported asking price of approximately £38 million.
Nunez has had difficulty securing a starting position under Arne Slot this season and attracted interest from Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr during the January transfer window.
The club is actively seeking a new striker this summer, showing interest in Alexander Isak but likely to target a more affordable and accessible option, which could further diminish Nunez’s chances. According to AS, Nunez currently prefers not to relocate to Saudi Arabia.
Nottingham Forest has expressed interest, as they aim for a Champions League spot next season, but Atletico Madrid is considered the frontrunner for a transfer that would see the Uruguayan move to Spain.
Nunez has reportedly received favorable evaluations and is open to the prospect of joining Atletico.
From Liverpool’s perspective, the 25-year-old is a club record signing who cost a guaranteed £64m, and around a further £8m in add-ons three years in.
Any money coming back would help shape the early stages of a squad rebuild by boosting the transfer budget.But it may be that Liverpool are initially willing to sanction a loan for a nominal fee, as long as Atletico – or whoever – covers Nunez’s salary, as well as there being an option to buy that could become an obligation based on certain criteria. That way, the Reds could recoup up to £38m.
Given Nunez’s disappointing lack of sustained impact, that amount could still be seen as a success.Nunez is among the very few Liverpool signings of the last decade that have not been a success.
His rise to prominence had been rapid to say the least, recruited off the back of a breakout season at Benfica in 2021/22, having netted 34 times in 41 games.
That was just his second year in a top flight European setting, recording only 14 goals for Benfica in the previous campaign.