There's just something about Darwin Nunez.
How can a player toil through so many minutes of the campaign, yet harness his chaotic powers when Liverpool need him most?
The £85m club-record striker's struggles were forgotten in an instant when he expertly collected Alisson's powerful goal kick, held off Marquinhos and found Harvey Elliott with a weighted ball into the box. Cue the pandemonium in Paris.
However, the fact remains: Nunez has drifted through three seasons at Anfield, never really producing the sustained clinical results to match the lofty tag and provide Liverpool with the elite-level centre-forward they require, fighting for the most major of honours.
Darwin Nunez's season in numbers
Nunez has divided opinion right through his Liverpool career, but as a 25-year-old striker into his third season at Anfield, he hasn't been good enough.
Darwin Nunez for Liverpool
His struggles have been emphasised by Arne Slot's reluctance to hand him starting roles in the Premier League, and it feels like we could be heading toward a bittersweet conclusion, with the Reds on track for silverware this term but Nunez, perhaps, preparing for a premature exit, having failed to reach his potential.
Multiple sources - including Fabrizio Romano - made claims in January that Nunez was on the brink of moving to the Saudi Pro League for a large figure, but FSG blocked his sale given Slot's title-chasing squad would be sold short at the 2024/25 campaign's midpoint.
Nunez's Liverpool Career by Season: Key Stats (PL)
#
Apps (starts)
Goals
Assists
Touches per game
Shots per game
Big chances missed
Key passes per game
Dribbles per game
Duels won per game
Stats via Sofascore
But when seeing his struggles in front of goal over three campaigns, Liverpool cannot afford to risk their attacking potency any longer. Mohamed Salah cannot be crushed with an absurd weight of responsibility as he approaches his mid-thirties.
So then, it looks like sporting director Richard Hughes is ready to sign an exciting upgrade.
Liverpool ready to sign Nunez upgrade
As per transfer insider Graeme Bailey, Liverpool have made their move to sign RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, opening talks to sign the player who is keen on leaving the German side this summer.
RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko before taking a penalty
Sesko, 21, has emerged as one of the most coveted strikers in Europe and is believed to have a release clause worth €70m (roughly £58m).
Leipzig are sixth in the Bundesliga and failure to return to Europe's elite club competition will only raise the chances of his departure.
FFC Header Transfer Focus
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The report notes that Liverpool have made enquiries in recent weeks, but they currently trail Premier League rivals Arsenal and Chelsea in the race. Newcastle and Aston Villa also hold a vested interest in the fearsome striker.
How Benjamin Sesko compares to Darwin Nunez
Liverpool fans have felt a frisson of excitement in recent weeks, watching reports emerge concerning interest in Newcastle United's Alexander Isak.
Newcastle forward Alexander Isak
The Magpies are set to demand in excess of £150m, so maybe hang on to your horses with that one.
Instead, Liverpool could get their mitts on one of the most exciting young goalscorers in the business, Sesko having been described as "the new Erling Haaland" by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko shoots at goal
At 6 foot 5, Sesko is a rangy and physical presence in the final third, but he's also slender, agile and pacy, ranking among the top 15% of centre-forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons completed (1.17) per 90, as per FBref.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
He joined Leipzig ahead of the 2023/24 season and has showcased exciting goalscoring qualities that have translated from the domestic scene onto the Champions League stage, which bodes well for his potential future on Merseyside.
Benjamin Sesko - Leipzig Stats by Competition
Competition
Bundesliga
Champions League
DFB-Pokal
DFL-Supercup
Data via Transfermarkt *(23/24 & 24/25)
For a 21-year-old forward, it's quite the resume having only just hatched from the early phase of his career. This time two years ago, Sesko was a teenager plying his trade for RB Salzburg in Austria.
Having scored 24 times in the Bundesliga so far, Sesko has actually only missed 16 big chances, as per Sofascore. This is a remarkable rate of success for one so young.
From this, we can extrapolate the figures and suggest Sesko will be a prolific force to be reckoned with under Slot's wing at Liverpool, especially when contrasting his clinical edge with Nunez.
RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko reacts
Looking back at the breakdown of Nunez's Premier League metrics over the past three years, we can see the Uruguayan has converted 24 chances in the division, missing a further 51, equating to a success rate of just 32%.
Conversely, Sesko's big-chance conversion rate stands at 60% across his two campaigns in Germany, which is almost double his counterpart's accuracy. He's four years Nunez's junior, remember, still building foundational blocks to his game.
Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez
Liverpool wouldn't be losing Nunez's finer traits either - not when Sesko is showing signs of emulating that side of the number nine game.
Scout Antonio Mango has described the Slovakia international as a "menace" in attacking areas, with his blend of strength, athleticism and awareness surely setting him up to dovetail into a dynamic and devastating Redmen outfit. He will feed off the energy and creativity of his potential teammates.
While it's worth remembering Nunez was a free-scoring sensation at Benfica, scoring 34 goals from 41 appearances across the 2021/22 season, before Liverpool snapped him up, Sesko is already showing signs of an unwavering clinical nature.
If a superstar like Isak proves out of FSG's financial reach, Liverpool won't get much better than this up-and-coming star.
Darwin Nunez warming up for Liverpool Related
He left in 2013: Liverpool flop sold for £15m is now outscoring Nunez
He was one of the worst signings in Liverpool's modern history.