Liverpool set £59m valuation as striker exit becomes more likely | OneFootball

Liverpool Open to Darwin Nunez Sale as FSG Plot Summer Overhaul

Nunez nears Anfield exit amid shifting priorities

The Darwin Nunez project may be nearing its end at Liverpool. According to TalkSport, the club are willing to sanction the Uruguayan’s departure this summer, with a valuation set at over £59 million. That number aligns with a previous €70m offer from Al Nassr, rejected in January, which is now being used as the benchmark for further negotiations.

Photo: IMAGO

Al Hilal have made an approach, and while no formal bid has materialised yet, the conditions are being explored. This signals a potential Saudi Pro League move, though Nunez is also said to be open to interest from La Liga and Serie A, with Atletico Madrid reportedly considering an offer.

Edwards and Hughes stand firm

FSG’s CEO of Football, Michael Edwards, and sporting director Richard Hughes resisted selling Nunez mid-season in the hope that he could power Liverpool’s title challenge under new manager Arne Slot. That plan did not bear fruit, and now the focus has shifted to reinvesting smartly.

Photo: IMAGO

Despite scoring just seven times in 47 appearances during the 2024–25 campaign, Nunez’s overall record stands at 25 goals and 13 assists in 49 starts. Not a failure, but not quite the output expected of an £85 million signing.

Photo: IMAGO

Market signals and valuation strategy

Liverpool are clear: they will not sell below their £59 million valuation, regardless of whether the buyer is from Saudi Arabia or Europe. With interest cooling elsewhere, the Pro League could be the only market capable of matching that fee.

Al Hilal’s enquiry, framed as a late effort to replace Victor Osimhen ahead of the Club World Cup, may have arrived too soon for Liverpool to accept. But further Saudi bids are anticipated.

Shortlist for successors already forming

Internally, Liverpool have been preparing. Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Joao Pedro and Benjamin Sesko are among the names floated as replacements. Slot’s system may favour a different type of forward, and Nunez’s departure would open the door to evolution.

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The hope was always that Nunez would explode into a 20-goal-a-season forward. He did not. His raw attributes – pace, power, chaos – excited the fanbase. But his composure, positioning and decision-making often frustrated. Seven goals in 47 matches is not good enough at this level.

That said, there is still sadness in how it ends. There were glimpses. That strike against Newcastle, the moments of menace against big sides – they suggested a player on the brink. But Liverpool do not have the luxury of waiting. With Arne Slot and Edwards back pulling the strings, there is a new ruthlessness at play.

Replacing Nunez will be tricky. Isak would be ideal but expensive. Joao Pedro and Sesko offer promise but not proven output. Yet what’s clear is Liverpool are moving in a different direction. The project is shifting. The rebuild continues.

And for Nunez, perhaps Italy or Spain is where his chaos can be better channelled.