Darwin Nunez appears to be inching ever closer to the exit door at Liverpool Football Club.
Arne Slot had originally been tasked with getting a tune out of the chaotic centre-forward ahead of his arrival in the summer of 2024.
If anything, however, the Uruguayan would appear to have regressed in the 2024/25 campaign, delivering a meagre return of 14 goal contributions (seven goals and as many assists).
With the summer transfer window open, both player and club are happy to sever ties.
Napoli want to sign Darwin Nunez
Having forked out £64m (initial fee) to Benfica in 2022 – and with three years left on Nunez’s current deal at Anfield – you can forgive Liverpool for wanting to recoup a significant portion.
Our understanding of the situation, according to sources close to the Italian club, is that Napoli believe the 26-year-old is valued at around the €50m [£42.7m] mark (before add-ons).
Antonio Conte’s Napoli can currently afford €40m-42m [£34.1m-35.8m], but they’re aware they’ll have to plump up this figure. On that note, there is an expectation that player sales (including the likely exit of Premier League-linked Victor Osimhen) will help in this respect.
Napoli are happy to be patient in their pursuit of Darwin Nunez – they’re completely set on the striker (and vice versa) and Antonio Conte is a huge fan.
How much do Liverpool want for Nunez?
We strongly suspect that Liverpool will be looking for a fee above the £42m mark that the Serie A outfit believes it can get away with paying.
Indeed, as The Athletic rightly point out, the point-blank refusal of a £60m offer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr in January indicates that we’re looking for a significant figure.
Of course, negotiations will always involve a variable amount of flexibility on either side, particularly in mind with the dominoes that may fall.
The potential sale of Darwin Nunez will almost certainly see Liverpool go back into the market for a replacement striker, and Alexander Isak is understood to be at the top of the list.
Hugo Ekitike is also an admired quantity, but a €100m [£85.3m] price tag will likely prove prohibitive to a move this summer.
Either way, one might reasonably imagine the fee for Nunez will have to come a lot closer to the £50m mark if Napoli are serious about signing the player. Potentially even in excess of this.
In that case, Gli Azzurri may struggle to commit the necessary funds.
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