Of all the potential summer transfer moves for Liverpool Football Club, perhaps none has been considered as certain going back through the second half of the 2024-25 season than the departure of striker Darwin Nuñez.
The 26-year-old Uruguayan arrived on Merseyside from Benfica in 2022 in a £64M deal that could rise to £85M with add-ons and instantly established himself as a fan favourite due to his tireless work-rate and chaotic energy.
He never quite lived up to the promise of his underlying statistics, though, numbers that pointed to a generational chance generator, and took a clear step back this past season following the arrival of manager Arne Slot.
Given his age and price tag, that always pointed towards a departure, even before his usually commendable work-rate began to suffer. Now, it appears increasingly likely that move away will see him joining Napoli.
Previous chatter suggested the Reds were seeking at least €50M for Nuñez but Napoli would have difficulty meeting that and covering his wages. Napoli have also been linked with another Red, winger Federico Chiesa.
Going the other way, it has been suggested the Reds may hold interest in Napoli striker Victor Osimhen. It will be interesting to see, then, if in the end other deals between Napoli and Liverpool develop or if it’s only Nuñez.
As with the sale of centre half Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen that has seen the Reds since move for Crystal Palace’s Marc Guéhi, the departure of Nuñez is likely to lead to Liverpool looking to sign a new number nine.