Liverpool ‘to sanction Darwin Núñez exit’ amid £51m transfer update
Darwin Núñez appears to have already played his final game for Liverpool after a transfer update.
Núñez hasn’t progressed as Liverpool would have hoped since the Reds signed the forward on a six-year deal from Benfica for an initial £64million.
The 25-year-old has largely been inconsistent during his time on Merseyside, and he has often received criticism from around the Premier League for his somewhat chaotic style.
Núñez’s exit from Liverpool seems almost inevitable this summer, as Arne Slot looks to strengthen his squad for the club’s title defence next term.
Liverpool want £51m for Núñez
Núñez has become something of a cult hero at Anfield, but it feels as though it would be the best move for all parties if he were to move on this summer.
The 35-cap international has been attracting attention from the likes of Napoli and AC Milan, with the pair of Serie A giants reportedly having outlined him as a “top-level” striker.
Liverpool are understood to have set an asking price of £51m for the frontman, according to Corriere dello Sport, via The Echo (16 June).
The Reds should do everything they can to ensure they conclude a deal with Napoli, who are currently thought to be leading the race to sign Núñez, as there is little point in keeping him at the club when he seemingly has little part to play in Slot’s plans moving forward.
News of interest from multiple parties is a massive positive for the L4 outfit at the moment, as they will want to avoid lowering their asking price at all if they can help it.
Slot’s side are working on some big deals this summer, with the Reds set to add Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez to their list of summer signings, alongside Jeremie Frimpong.
However, if negotiations over Núñez’s future stall at any point, then the Reds may have to lower their demands to recoup as much as they possibly can for the attacker.
Núñez simply hasn’t worked out at Liverpool
Núñez was arguably one of Europe’s most exciting young strikers when he first came to Anfield on the back of a 34-goal campaign for Benfica.
The Uruguayan has certainly shown flashes of the ability that everyone expected from him during his three years in the Premier League, but so far, those flashes have been few and far between.
| Club | Apps | Goals | Assists |
| Liverpool | 143 | 40 | 23 |
| Benfica | 74 | 43 | 14 |
With that in mind, it seems like a sensible piece of business for Liverpool to essentially sacrifice Núñez to fund the move for Wirtz.
There will be plenty on Merseyside who will be sad to see him depart, but it’s hard to argue with the fact that it seems like the right decision at this moment in time.