Liverpool are increasingly likely to sell Darwin Nunez at the end of the season and have shortlisted four elite strikers as potential replacements, with three Premier League stars among them.
Nunez, 25, has struggled to convince Arne Slot that he is the man to lead his line and has started just one of Liverpool’s last 12 Premier League games.
The Uruguayan international missed a crucial penalty in the shoot-out against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, which saw the Reds knocked out of the Champions League.
Sources state that the missed spot kick has not helped Nunez’s chances of staying at Anfield and we can confirm that Liverpool are open to offers for him this summer.
The forward has interest from clubs in Europe and, particularly, sides in the Saudi Pro League, but the race for Nunez is open at this stage. Nunez came ‘very close’ to joining Saudi side Al-Nassr in January, according to Fabrizio Romano.
To replace Nunez, Liverpool have several targets in mind. TEAMtalk understands that their top priority is Newcastle superstar Alexander Isak – but his asking price, which could be as high as £150m, is considered too expensive.
The Reds hope negotiations for Isak will become more flexible in the coming months, while Newcastle could target Viktor Gyokeres to replace him if he leaves, per our sources.
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Thuram, Watkins and Delap on Liverpool’s radar
TEAMtalk understands that Inter Milan striker Marcus Thuram has emerged as a target for Liverpool. The 27-year-old has notched 16 goals this term and a number of sides have taken notice.
Thuram, 27, has a release clause of €85m (£71.5m, $92.6m) in his contract but Liverpool will try to negotiate a lower fee, if they chose to move for him.
Inter, for their part, have opened talks with Thuram’s entourage to negotiate a new deal and remove the release clause altogether.
However, despite being happy with his performances, sources state that Inter would consider parting ways with Thuram this summer for a high fee. He joined the Italian club on a free transfer, meaning any sale would go down as pure profit on the account books.
TEAMtalk understands that Liverpool are also monitoring two Premier League strikers as alternatives to Isak and Thuram, and those are Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap and Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins.
Delap has bagged 10 Premier League goals in a struggling Ipswich side this term and his performances haven’t gone unnoticed.
As we have consistently reported, Chelsea are big fans of the 22-year-old. However, Liverpool have sent scouts to watch him in action on many occasions this term and could compete with the Blues for his signature.
Watkins, on the other hand, will be difficult to lure from Aston Villa but he does have admirers at Anfield. Villa rejected a bid of around £45m from Arsenal for Watkins in January and it would take significantly north of that figure for Liverpool to get him.
Isak, Thuram, Delap and Watkins are all players to keep a close eye on if Liverpool do sell Nunez, which is very, very likely at this stage.
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