Uruguayan international Darwin Nunez, who is in his third season at Liverpool, has struggled to prove himself in the Arne Slot regime.
He has not been able to grab a regular place in the team, partly due to the difference between the role the centre-forward is expected to play and the player’s strengths.
An offer for the 25-year-old striker arrived from Saudi Arabia this winter, but the Merseyside club turned down the proposal, citing difficulties in securing a replacement.
However, they are not opposed to letting him go, and if a good offer comes in, he could be sold in this summer’s transfer window.
Duncan Castles, an English journalist, said Liverpool would be willing to release the Uruguayan forward if a club in the Middle East made an offer for his departure once again, claiming that the player and his partners are also looking to break away from England.
“Liverpool would be happy if the Saudis came in and would encourage a move for Nunez. They would like to get some kind of significant return on the initial €75 million that they paid Benfica three years ago.”
“From the Saudi perspective, [Nunez] still has that ability to be a name within the Saudi game and to deliver goals with his physicality.”
“Interestingly, I’m told that his girlfriend, Lorena Manas, who is the ex-wife of former Barcelona player Aleix Vidal, has been working with agents to explore opportunities elsewhere.”
“So it looks like this is both sides pushing against the same door with Nunez, or at least Nunez’s partner, encouraging him to look for a move and Liverpool happy to sell the player with a strong, affluent potential buyer in Saudi Arabia.”
Football Transfers
The 25-year-old striker’s future at Liverpool is infinitely more scarce and a new challenge looms.
His ability to get close to goal from the back is one of the best in the world, and if he can improve his game with the keeper and his shooting technique, he should be able to recapture the brilliance of his Portugal days.
One of the difficulties of life in England will be that his English has not improved. In that sense, if he could move to a Latin-speaking country such as Spain or Italy, he would be able to concentrate on football without any difficulties in terms of living.
Saudi Arabia is attractive in terms of salary, but the environment is not a good fit.
There is a pattern of giving up quickly, like Jordan Henderson, but will Darwin Nunez receive an offer from a Middle Eastern club and decide to go to the Middle East…?