Liverpool’s hopes of offloading Darwin Nunez this summer may have just hit a roadblock.
The striker looks likely to be one of a number of players sold by the Reds this summer as Arne Slot and Richard Hughes overhaul the Premier League title-winning squad. Jarell Quansah already looks to be heading to Bayer Leverkusen, while the likes of Federico Chiesa and Luis Diaz have also been linked with departures.
Having gone big early in the transfer window, with the arrivals of Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez already taking the club well past the $200 million mark, Liverpool will be eager to recoup some money over the coming weeks, especially if it still has its eyes on further additions later in the window.
Nunez will be one of the players expected to fetch a decent return for the Reds, even if it has to take a hit on fee paid to Benfica three years ago. Reports in Italy though are suggesting Napoli is trying to talk Liverpool down even more than it would like.
According to Corriere dello Sport, a $71 million price tag has been set by Liverpool - which itself is lower than the $95 million asking price that has been previously reported - but that figure is proving too high for Napoli.
As such, the Serie A champion is looking at Lorenzo Lucca as an alternative, with the Udinese forward valued at around $35M.
Napoli reportedly wants Darwin Nunez's price to be reduced
Napoli reportedly wants Darwin Nunez's price to be reduced (Image: Getty Images)
There is still hope for Liverpool, although it’s claimed Napoli will take 48 hours to decide whether to keep pursuing Nunez, during which time it will hope the Reds will reduce the Uruguayan’s asking price.
Nunez and his agent are said to want the move to Italy, although Napoli’s reluctance to meet Liverpool’s demands might well prevent him from getting his wish.
Liverpool.com says: It might be trickier to offload Nunez than expected. Unlike Quansah or perhaps Diaz, clubs elsewhere will be fully aware Liverpool wants to offload the Uruguayan, which will make negotiations a little trickier.
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The Reds are going to have to decide what the lowest price it will accept for Nunez is this summer, bearing in mind he is still 26, and strikers in general command more money other players.
$71M seems a more than reasonable amount to demand, and Napoli is likely just trying to put the pressure on Liverpool.
The problem is, if Nunez does have his heart set on a move to Napoli, then that will also work in Napoli’s favor. That shouldn’t deter Liverpool from trying to get what it feels is his true value, but it may well have to act quickly, or turn its attention to other options.