EXCLUSIVE: Chelsea outcast holds key to Darwin Nunez future

It would appear that Darwin Nunez’s Liverpool future is looking less certain by the day.

The January transfer window opened with reports that AC Milan were looking to add the Uruguayan to their squad on a loan deal with a view to a permanent move.

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While Anfield Watch can confirm that those loan reports are wide of the mark - for various reasons - it hasn’t stopped the transfer talk from hotting up.

Newcastle are the latest team to be linked with the 25-year-old, amid doubts over the future of Alexander Isak - and a price tag of £50 million to £60m was floated.

Since then it has emerged in Spanish reports that Diego Simeone is a BIG fan of Darwin and sees him as a potential signing to help Atletico Madrid over the line in the LaLiga title race.

And with Darwin failing to convince Arne Slot of his capabilities thus far, we could be reaching the countdown on his Anfield career.

Nunez, under contract until 2028, cost Liverpool a fee which could reach £85m from Benfica back in 2022. He endured a frustrating first season, facing criticism for his inconsistency in front of goal, but fared slightly better numbers-wise in his second campaign.

However, he finished last season in poor form, enduring social media barbs from supporters and being tentatively lined with an exit. Whether Liverpool are prepared to give up on their record signing will be decided in the next few windows.

It's either Nunez or Abraham for Milan

And matters over the course of the second half of the season could bring Milan back to the table. Although right now the Rossoneri cannot afford Darwin - nor accommodate him in the squad due to a lack of non-EU slots - the game will have changed by summer.

Milan currently boast Tammy Abraham as one of their striking options. The Englishman scored the winning goal in the Italian Super Cup on Monday night, having joined the club on loan for the season from Roma.

Abraham is a Chelsea homegrown talent who was sold to Roma back in 2021 having found himself far outside the plans of then-Blues head coach Thomas Tuchel. The 27-year-old has not yet found his consistent form at the San Siro - scoring only twice in Serie A - and he could hold the key to Darwin’s Liverpool destiny.

Milan will ONLY go for Darwin if they don’t make Abraham’s loan deal a permanent switch. And they will still need Liverpool to do them a favour by selling the Uruguayan for a relatively low fee.

There will be space in Sergio Conceicao’s new Milan setup for only ONE of Abraham or Nunez. How Abraham fares in the rest of the season could well have a huge impact on where Darwin lines up at the start of the next campaign.

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