Darwin Nunez is still expected to leave Liverpool this summer, and reports in Italy claim a deal could be close for the striker after an offer worth £51.8 million.
Nunez has been subject of significant interest after his third campaign at Liverpool, including clubs in Italy, Spain and Saudi Arabia.
His most likely destination appears to be Serie A, with Napoli his leading suitors as talks continue between the champions of England and Italy.
Liverpool journalist David Lynch described the talks as “ongoing” in an update on YouTube on Friday, while the print edition of Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport has detailed the situation.
Per Sport Witness, it is claimed that Napoli have offered a deal worth an initial €55 million (£47.5m) rising to €60 million (£51.8m) with add-ons.
That would reportedly meet Liverpool’s asking price, though it is unclear whether the club are seeking an up-front fee of €60 million without factoring in bonuses.
Furthermore, Napoli are said to have presented a contract outline worth €5 million per year – around £80,000 a week – but Nunez wants closer to £100,000 a week.
Having been given the green light from the player’s side to push ahead with a deal, Napoli are effectively waiting for the go-ahead from Liverpool.
While £51.8 million is a sizeable drop from the £85 million paid to sign Nunez from Benfica in 2022 it is more representative of his market value with three years left on his contract.
In terms of their accounts and PSR, Liverpool need to clear £21.2 million in order for any sale to be considered a profit, according to the Liverpool Echo‘s Dave Powell.
Therefore the club would essentially be adding around £30 million to their spending power if such an agreement is reached with Napoli.
While the sad loss of Diogo Jota may require those in Liverpool’s recruitment team to take stock with regards their attacking options, the most likely eventuality when it comes to Nunez is that he will still move on.
Arne Slot evidently lost patience with his No. 9 in the second half of last season with fewer starting opportunities and, unsurprisingly, fewer goals.
While the head coach denied theories that he had left Nunez out of the 2-1 win over West Ham in April due to a bust-up with staff he admitted it was not due to illness as initially claimed – explaining he simply “didn’t feel himself.”
Soon after, the striker took to social media with veiled criticism of his lack of starts, writing: “No wonder I didn’t play more, because the last game I started in the Premier League went well and suddenly…”
That post was quickly deleted but after multiple complaints over his consistency and application, along with the clear lack of top-level quality in front of goal, now is the right time to cut ties with Nunez.
