Over the past week or so, rumours linking Liverpool striker Darwin Nuñez with a move to Serie A side Napoli have been approaching critical mass, and the growing consensus now is that it seems only a matter of time before a deal goes through.
Now, former Napoli and Uruguay midfielder Walter Gargano has revealed that in a recent conversation with Nuñez where he encouraged his compatriot to join Gli Azzurri, Nuñez told him that that’s in fact his plan and he hopes to complete the move shortly.
“The heat of the Neapolitans would do him a lot of good,” Gargano told Italy’s RadioGoal24. “I spoke to him about a week ago and I hope he gets to Naples. I told him, Go to Naples!’ He told me, Yes, I’m coming to Naples, I’m waiting to close with Napoli.”
“The Napoli squad, with De Bruyne and possibly Nunez, will make a leap in quality. Today Napoli’s goal must be to go deep in the Champions League as much as possible. But I will always be a fan of Napoli, even if in the end Darwin doesn’t arrive.”
The only reason at this stage that Nuñez might not end up there would seem to be if the two clubs can’t reach an agreement over price, with Liverpool setting the striker’s valuation at €50M—a seemingly fair price for a 26-year-old striker of his talents.
Nuñez has proven to be a poor fit for Arne Slot and Liverpool, but when he joined the Reds back in 2022 he seemed the only young striker with the physical talent to generate chances at a rate to go toe-to-toe with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
The early signals from the Napoli end, though, have the Serie A side looking to spend less than the Reds’ valuation, and it’s hard to see Liverpool accepting less for Nuñez when there is also rumoured interest from Atletico Madrid and the Saudi Pro League.