Darwin Nunez faces fresh uncertainty as Napoli have reportedly backed out of the deal.
Liverpool marked Nunez for sale at the start of the summer transfer window. Arne Slot might not want to include him in his plans for the upcoming season.
However, Nunez did feature in Sunday’s pre-season game against Preston. He appeared in the second half of the match and also scored a goal, dedicating it to Liverpool’s forever No.20 Diogo Jota by doing his celebration.
Serie A champions Napoli had been interested in the Uruguayan forward since last month. They tried to sign him several times, but reports say there was a major gap in valuation between Liverpool and Napoli.
Previous reports suggested that Napoli were preparing a new offer, but the Merseyside club needed to lower their price tag for Nunez — otherwise, the deal would collapse.
As Fabrizio Romano reported in his Facebook post: Darwin Nunez still plans to leave Liverpool… while the Napoli deal has collapsed. Napoli have informed Liverpool that the deal can be considered off as they’ll sign Lucca instead. Saudi Pro League clubs are now showing interest in Nunez ahead of next week. Liverpool want to sign a new top striker, with Isak and Ekitike both options being considered, so… Nunez will go.
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Which club might try to sign Darwin Nunez now?
After Napoli backed off, Nunez’s future is in doubt — but Atletico Madrid might still try for him, as they had shown interest earlier. The Spanish club has already signed another forward, with Thiago Almada reportedly joining them.
Atletico also sold Angel Correa this summer, and they currently have Julian Alvarez as their primary striker. Still, Nunez might have a chance to arrive at the Metropolitano, as Diego Simeone likes a forward with strong ball-holding ability.
However, Saudi club Al-Hilal also have its eyes on the Uruguayan. They might offer big money, but it’s probably up to the player’s side. Considering Nunez is just 26, there’s only a small chance he’ll leave Europe now. It looks like he will explore opportunities in Europe as of now.
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