It may come as a surprise to some, but Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez has in fact been linked with a move away from Anfield, as he continues to appear phased out by new manager Arne Slot.
Nunez has only started 7 games in the league this season under the Dutch gaffer, scoring two times. While this is already a disappointing return, it is worsened by the £64 million price tag with which he arrived at the club.
Nunez has always struggled for form at Liverpool, with his best goal tally in his two-and-a-half seasons being 11 in 36 appearances last term. The Uruguayan has always had the propensity to cause chaos for defences, but he has found it tricky to convert this into raw output on the stats sheet.
Now, with Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota both able to occupy the number 9 spot, as well as Cody Gakpo nailing down the left wing position, it now seems that Nunez could be heading away from the Merseyside giants in search of a new challenge. The bookies have a few options that could be viable.
Current favourites
Any Saudi League club – 2/1
This may be a shocking development for many given the Uruguayan international is still only 25 years old, but the touted destination for Nunez appears to be the Saudi Pro League.
Although his current takings of £140,000 a week are nothing to sneer at, the striker’s wage is certainly within the budget of most top European clubs. However, Al-Hilal are allegedly prepared to offer the phased-out forward £400,000 a week, more than doubling his current salary.
While this would be an excellent pay cheque for Nunez, the issue comes when one considers his career trajectory as a result of this potential decision. A move to Saudi would indicate a lack of ambition, and it would be tough for Nunez to find another move to an elite European team should he wish to continue operating at the top level.
However, at 2/1, a Saudi club seems to provide good value for punters at present.
Any Italian club – 3/1
Odds, a move to the Serie A has emerged as a potential option for Nunez. However, we would not consider this a viable choice at the moment, as there is limited evidence of interest in the striker coming out of Italy, other than alleged interest from AC Milan.
Nunez is a player known for his speed, runs in behind and ability to burn defenders for pace, so the Serie A’s slow pace and low scoring does not seem to be a good fit for the Uruguayan.
While he would certainly be able to help an ailing AC Milan side who currently sit in eighth place, it is not a switch that seems to align much with Nunez’s playstyle.
Any South American club – 12/1
While it would be a fairytale homecoming, a move back to South America is probably also out of the question given the point at which Nunez finds himself in his career.
A graduate of the Penarol academy, the club for which he bagged 4 times in 22 appearances between the ages of 17 and 19, a return to Uruguay would be almost unprecedented for the striker.
While it was Penarol that facilitated the enigmatic striker’s switch to Almeria, the club with which he initially became recognised, his current salary expectations would just be too much for the club to bear.
At present, we would decide against favouring a return to South America, purely based on the potential pay cheques that have been offered to Nunez from elsewhere.
Lifelong Ipswich Town supporter who recently graduated from Durham University in French and German. Have developed a passion for European football based on my links abroad and am an avid supporter of Werder Bremen and Auxerre. Joined the MFT team in October 2024 and looking to take my first steps into the world of football journalism.
