Liverpool U-TURN as club sets asking price for star

Arne Slot has transformed plenty of Liverpool’s first-team stars since arriving at the club as head coach.

Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz and Curtis Jones are among the players who have had a big upturn in form since the start of the season.

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The Reds are flying high at the top of the Premier League and it’s been achieved largely with the same squad of players that Jurgen Klopp left to Slot.

One exception perhaps has been in the centre-forward position where Diogo Jota remains frustratingly injury-prone in between decent goalscoring spells and Darwin Nunez continues to baffle.

The Uruguayan arrived for a fee that could reach £85 million from Benfica back in 2022. There were initially lofty expectations on him, given the price tag, but he faced criticism in his first season for missing chances and being inconsistent.

His form improved in his second season, weighing in with 11 Premier League goals, but it’s still not the kind of goalscoring return you’d expect from a record signing.

Liverpool set £50m - £60m asking price for Nunez

Nunez finished last season in the doldrums, deleting all references to Liverpool on his social media accounts, before a summer dust-up at the Copa America.

He returned to the club amid rumours he could move to Fenerbahce alongside Jose Mourinho but he ultimately stayed put.

Slot has tried to find a place for Nunez in his line-up but has been unable to work his magic on the former Penarol star. He’s only scored FOUR goals all season long and it’s led to rumours that he could leave the club this winter.

Anfield Watch understands talk of a move to Milan on a loan deal with a view to a permanent switch are wide of the mark but there are now reports that the Reds might be finally ready to cut their losses.

With Darwin in contract until 2028, and given his age, it would take a sizeable bid to dislodge him from Anfield. Football Insider claims that the Reds would take between £50m and £60m for Darwin and Newcastle have been mentioned as potentially interested.

If Alexander Isak is to leave then a replacement will need to be sourced and Darwin could well represent the best option.

It would be a surprise if Liverpool opted to sell Nunez this January but his situation is certainly one to watch heading into the summer window.

The publication also states that any big-money deal could end up facilitating a move for a new centre-back or a midfielder.

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