Liverpool ramp up move to replace Darwin Nunez with €61m forward

Liverpool have the perfect player on their radar to replace Darwin Nunez and Michael Edward has wanted to sign him for six years.

The Uruguayan's time at Anfield is up. As Anfield Watch revealed exclusively he is set to depart the club in the summer transfer window after heavy interest from Saudi Arabia in January.

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It will be an opportunity for Liverpool to start anew and to recruit a striker who is more suited to Arne Slot's style of play.

Someone who is both a 'facilitator and a creator' and who can link-up well with the club's other forwards while providing much needed defensive cover from the front and a ruthlessness in front of goal.

There are many players who fit that profile, but one star has been on the club's radar for a long time and it seems like Liverpool are ready to move for him again.

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Why Liverpool's move for Joao Pedro has been six years in the making

According to a report from TEAMtalk from Ben Jacobs Liverpool have identified Brighton forward Joao Pedro as the perfect replacement for Darwin Nunez and are expected to make a move for him in the summer transfer window if the Uruguayan departs.

As we revealed on the Anfield Watch YouTube channel Pedro is the perfect profile to replace Nunez for several reasons.

Primarily, he's a forward who is both a facilitator and a goal-scorer. He's scored seven times and has registered six assists for Brighton this season.

He's done this in the space of 16.9 90 minutes played so far which means he's averaging a goal or assist 0.77 per 90.

That's a really good return for a forward who also scored 20 goals in 40 matches for Brighton last season. At 23 years old, he's still relatively young and the club's scouts will be well aware of him.

Back when Michael Edwards was in charge as Liverpool's sporting director, the club opened talks with Fluminense to try to bring Pedro to Anfield in 2019 [Daily Mail].

In the end, because Pedro already had an agreement to join Watford, a move never materialised.

But Liverpool are clearly huge admirers of the forward and they have continued to monitor him in the six years that have passed.

With every passing year, Pedro has stepped up and showcased his quality. Now he's at a stage in his career where he is ready for the next step and ready for a move to the Reds.

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Valued at €61m by Football Transfers, he also makes sense for Liverpool from the fiscal sense as he is unlikely to break the bank unlike an Alexander Isak and will allow Richard Hughes to invest in other areas of the squad, too.

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