Darwin Nunez Very Close to Liverpool Exit in January

That’s also what happened with the ‘secret case’ of Darwin Nunez, which was one of the biggest stories in January despite always being quiet in the media, as Liverpool were able to maintain their control in the best way possible.

Al Nassr Sent Two Big Proposals to Liverpool for Nunez

The Saudi club were in very advanced talks with the striker

In the second half of January, Al Nassr sent Liverpool two official proposals for Nunez as a big target to join the club for the number 9 position needed by head coach Stefano Pioli to play next to Cristiano Ronaldo.

Yes, the Saudi giants really tried to make it happen with two proposals; the second one was in excess of €75m plus add-ons, so similar to the package invested on signing Jhon Duran from Aston Villa. Sources close to the deal guarantee that Al Nassr were also in very advanced talks with Nunez in terms of contract, salary and every single detail of his possible move to the Saudi Pro League.

It was not just a normal approach or an attempt; Al Nassr made important progress in negotiations for the Liverpool forward at some point, and they were confident of getting the green light from the player before insisting on reaching an agreement with Liverpool. A concrete story, not just a normal call or an official bid sent and rejected.

More than three direct rounds of talks took place between Nunez and Al Nassr, as the Saudi club was desperate to bring in a top striker to play with Cristiano Ronaldo, while also adding one more winger for the summer transfer window – that’s going to be the next priority for Al Nassr.

Liverpool Stopped the Nunez Deal Happening

The Reds couldn’t find a replacement for the Uruguayan

But why didn’t the deal happen? We understand that the problem was not even the financial package, as the second bid was really close to the valuation made by Liverpool for Darwin Nunez. The real issue was the replacement, as Liverpool didn’t have time to find a proper replacement for Nunez – described as “world-class” by Guillem Balague – in a complicated market like the one in January. That made it a very risky decision to let the Uruguayan leave mid-season with zero guarantees about a new striker ready to make an impact for Liverpool with immediate effect.

There were basically no strikers available on the market of those who are part of Liverpool’s shortlist for the future transfer windows; if you look at Arsenal and how difficult it’s been for them to find a proper option at number nine, you’ll understand why Liverpool closed the doors to Darwin’s exit in January.

Liverpool Will Assess Nunez’s Situation Again This Summer

Anfield chiefs wanted to respect Arne Slot’s needs in January

Internally, Liverpool view this season as a massive opportunity to win the Premier League but also make something special happen in the Champions League. Selling Darwin in January and the risk of bringing in a striker you don’t really trust and probably overpaying in the final days of the window wasn’t something that the management wanted to approve.

Darwin Nunez at Liverpool by Season
	Games	Goals	Assists
2022-23	42	15	4
2023-24	54	18	13
2024-25	32	6	5

Anfield chiefs also respect Arne Slot’s excellent work so far. It’s important for the Reds to keep this squad, trust the process until the end of the season, win as much as possible and then assess the situation again in the summer for several players, not only Nunez.

Al Nassr were pushing until the end – they waited until the final week of January and then the decision was to negotiate for Victor Boniface and Jhon Duran instead with the Colombian striker winning the race to become Cristiano’s new attacking partner. The package worth €85m is exactly the same that Al Nassr wanted to invest for the Darwin deal. But Liverpool decided to say no.

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