Liverpool have received an opening transfer offer for forward Darwin Nunez, according to reports.
Darwin Nunez joined Liverpool from Benfica in the summer of 2022 for £85 million. Last season, he scored 11 goals and provided eight assists in the Premier League, but his time at Anfield has been marred by inconsistency in front of goal.
This season, the Uruguayan has netted only four goals in 23 appearances across all competitions. Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo are often chosen ahead of Nunez when available.
While Nunez hasn’t scored as many goals as he would have hoped this season, manager Arne Slot defended his overall contribution, saying earlier this season: “For me, he has impact. He hasn’t scored as many goals as he’d like… but his work-rate is significant. He’s part of a team that’s scoring plenty of goals and winning consistently. Naturally, as a number nine, you’d want to score more goals, and that’s what he wants as well. But I don’t judge Mohamed Salah and Darwin solely on goals. I also assess their work-rate and what they bring to the team.”
Reports now suggest that Liverpool could sell Nunez in the upcoming January transfer window. Italian outlet AC Milan TMN claims that AC Milan have contacted Liverpool about the possibility of initially loaning Nunez in January, with a mandatory buy option included. Milan are reportedly ready to pay €5 million for a six-month loan, with the obligation to purchase Nunez for a total of €45 million.
Although this would provide significant funds for Slot to strengthen his squad this summer, it would also result in a major loss on the money spent to bring Nunez to the club in the summer of 2022, a decision that has divided fans.
Milan are currently competing in the Champions League this season but are already struggling to qualify for next season, sitting eighth in Serie A and nine points behind fourth-placed Lazio, although they have two games in hand.
Manager Paulo Fonseca faced pressure to keep his job earlier this season, but a crucial European victory over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu relieved some of that tension. Now, the Portuguese manager seems eager to turn to Nunez to help Milan finish the season strong.
