Liverpool sources are reported to have denied a brand new declare from Portugal that Darwin Nunez is now not beginning attributable to a fee clause in his contract.
Nunez has not began for the reason that 3-1 win over Southampton on March 8 and, with a sale anticipated this summer time, experiences in Portugal claimed this might be linked.
Newspaper A Bola – through Sport Witness – made the declare on Tuesday, with it instructed that Liverpool could be required to pay Benfica €5 million (£4.3m) on his sixtieth begin throughout the Premier League and Champions League – which he’s now one away from.
That is stated to be because of the bonuses agreed in his club-record transfer from Benfica in 2022, with €5 million paid for his first 10 begins in these two competitions and €5 million for every of his subsequent 25.
The Uruguayan has made 59 mixed begins and it’s claimed that another would set off one other payout in the direction of an eventual £85 million payment.
Whereas this was held up as a motive why Arne Slot might now not be contemplating beginning Nunez, the Liverpool Echo have since quashed that – nearly definitely from sources throughout the membership.
Ian Doyle writes that “there isn’t any suggestion the participant is being omitted for monetary causes” after Liverpool “resisted big-money curiosity from Saudi Arabia in January to as a substitute have the participant as a part of their plans for the second half of the season.”
A Bola‘s declare doesn’t match up with earlier experiences from Portugal over the phrases of Liverpool and Benfica’s deal both, with it in any other case understood that almost all of that £85 million payment had already been paid.
All indications are, then, that Nunez is solely being missed on sporting advantage – that’s regardless of the shortage of targets from Diogo Jota, who has been most well-liked.
In fact it stays a troublesome state of affairs for the No. 9, who sat out the 2-1 win over West Ham as he “didn’t really feel himself.”
Slot had beforehand claimed Nunez was in poor health, however later backtracked and defined that him not feeling himself “can imply a number of issues” – although the top coach denied a rift with any of his workers.
“He did go away the pitch as a result of he didn’t really feel himself,” he instructed reporters, “as in he didn’t have phrases with a workers member.”
Liverpool did flip down advances from Saudi Arabia in the direction of the top of the switch window however all indicators level to the 25-year-old heading to the Center East in the summertime with curiosity from Al-Hilal.
Nunez may make switch exit days after season ends
With Al-Hilal collaborating on this summer time’s Membership World Cup, it isn’t unrealistic to counsel talks may happen over a transfer in time for that event, which kicks off on June 14.
Golf equipment collaborating within the expanded 32-team event are permitted to signal gamers in a quick window of June 1 to 10 earlier than the same old switch window, which for the Premier League falls between June 16 and September 1.
Meaning if Al-Hilal did make one other method for Nunez to safe his providers earlier than the Membership World Cup he may go away Liverpool simply days after their title celebrations.
Liverpool play their last recreation of the season in opposition to Crystal Palace on Could 25 and their proposed title parade would happen the next day.
It raises the prospect of Nunez celebrating in entrance of half one million supporters in Liverpool on the Monday earlier than finalising a swap to Saudi Arabia on the Sunday.
