Liverpool turned down two offers for Darwin Nunez in January, with Al-Nassr proposing over £62 million for the Uruguayan to team up with Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia, according to reports.
The Saudi club was believed to be in advanced talks with Nunez and felt confident about finalizing the transfer if Liverpool agreed to sell him.
Before acquiring Jhon Duran, Al-Nassr aimed to sign Nunez, but Liverpool hesitated to offload the struggling forward.
The main obstacle was not the financial terms, as Al-Nassr’s second bid was close to Liverpool’s valuation of Nunez.
Instead, Liverpool worried about not securing an attacking replacement before the transfer window closed, as noted by Fabrizio Romano.
If they did find a replacement, they would likely need to pay a premium, given the urgency of a January deal.
Liverpool declined two offers from Al-Nassr for Darwin Nunez, the latter exceeding £62 million.
Prior to signing Jhon Duran, Al-Nassr sought to pair Nunez with Cristiano Ronaldo in their attack.
However, Liverpool opted not to release Nunez due to the lack of a replacement.
In their quest to secure an unprecedented three trophies in Arne Slot’s debut season at Merseyside, the Reds still regard Nunez as a vital component in the Dutchman’s current strategy, which adds to their reluctance to part with him.
Nonetheless, the club is open to reevaluating their No. 9’s future come summer.
Liverpool invested £85 million to acquire Nunez from Benfica in 2022, but his performance has been inconsistent since then.
The striker has found the net 24 times in 83 matches since arriving in England.
In his two full seasons at Liverpool, he has consistently ranked among the top three for missed big chances in the Premier League, with 21 in 2022-23 and 27 the following season.
So far this season, he has scored only six goals and provided four assists in 29 games across all competitions.
Despite the ongoing speculation regarding Nunez’s future and the criticism of his performances, Slot emphasized that the 25-year-old’s work ethic adds value to his leading side.
“To me, he has impact,” Slot stated last month.
The 25-year-old has netted 24 goals in 83 appearances since moving from Benfica for £85 million.
Arne Slot maintained that Nunez continues to offer value to his team through his strong work ethic.
“If you only focus on goals, he hasn’t scored as many as he wishes, or that we expect from a striker, but his work rate is impactful. He’s part of a team that scores frequently and is winning consistently.
“Naturally, as a striker, you aim for more goals, and that’s certainly what he desires too.
“Yet, I don’t solely assess Mohamed Salah based on his goals or Darwin on his. I also evaluate their work rate and contributions to the team.
“The fans support him so much that perhaps he feels that pressure too.”