In what could lead to a frustrating double blow, Barcelona are now reportedly keeping tabs on one Liverpool forward who could follow Mohamed Salah out of the Anfield exit door next summer.
Liverpool transfer news
On the pitch, the Reds have enjoyed an excellent start under new manager Arne Slot, but away from the action they still have a number of problems to solve on the contracts front. As things stand, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Salah are all set to depart as free agents at the end of their current deals next summer in what would be the ultimate catastrophe for those at Anfield.
Whilst the trio all seem keen to stay put, rumours have been worryingly quiet when it comes to potential renewals and it very much looks like a problem that is unlikely to go away anytime soon for Liverpool. Replacing Salah, Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk individually is a tough task, but if the Reds are left with the task of replacing all three at the same time, then they’ll face an impossible summer in 2025, especially if another forward departs on top of the trio.
According to GiveMeSport, Barcelona are now keeping tabs on Darwin Nunez, who could be left following Salah out of the exit door as Liverpool cash in on the struggling striker next summer.
Into his third season since arriving for a hefty £85m, Nunez is still struggling to transform into the reliable goalscoring that the Reds believed they spent big on in 2022, with his raw ability still failing to pull together to create one of the most dangerous strikers in the Premier League. And with Slot so far opting for Diogo Jota from the start, Nunez’s Liverpool place could be in more doubt than ever.
That said, if Liverpool first lost Salah and then Nunez, they’d be left scrambling for further attacking options in what could already prove to be a difficult summer in 2025.
Now or never for “important” Nunez at Liverpool
It was easy to excuse Nunez’s struggles in his debut season. Like any new arrival, the forward took time to settle in and certainly wasn’t helped by a red card on his Anfield debut against Crystal Palace.
The second season then arrived and, to his credit, the former Benfica man finally showed signs of bursting into life with one purple patch proving his goalscoring ability, having netted 18 goals and assisted a further 13 in all competitions. Since then, however, he has struggled to really make his mark under Slot in what should be a cause for concern around Anfield.
Whilst the Uruguay international arguably suited the heavy metal style of Jurgen Klopp, the more composed orchestra that Slot has so far finely tuned at Anfield suits the likes of Jota rather than the very raw talent that is Nunez.
Nonetheless, Nunez has battled back to earn the spotlight in a Liverpool shirt before and his resilience is something that can never be thrown into doubt. Dubbed “important” by Klopp last season, the forward must steal back the starting spot ahead of Jota in Slot’s attack in a vital third season at Anfield.
