Liverpool have received an offer from Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest for Darwin Nunez as they look to do a quick deal, according to reports.
The Reds signed the Uruguay international from Benfica in 2022 for a reported fee of around £85m after Nunez scored 48 goals in 85 matches.
However, things have not gone to plan for Nunez after a mixed first couple of seasons at Anfield that saw him score 33 goals in 96 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool.
But things have got worse this term with new manager Arne Slot clearly not fancying the 25-year-old as he’s only afforded him eight Premier League starts.
Nunez has just seven goals in 40 appearances this campaign, 23 of which were from the bench, and now it looks extremely likely that the Liverpool striker could be moved on this summer.
Spanish website Fichajes insists that Liverpool have ‘received’ a €60m (£50m) offer for Nunez from Premier League side Nottingham Forest.
Nunez’s future ‘appears to be increasingly distant from Anfield’ and Forest have ‘taken the first step in its attempt to sign the Uruguayan striker and has already submitted a formal offer of €60m to the English club’.
Forest ‘want to close the deal before the summer’ with the high-flying Premier League outfit ‘looking to bolster its attack with a top-level goalscorer and believes the Uruguayan could be a key player in its project’.
Nottingham Forest ‘appears to be leading the race’ and the report adds:
‘Nottingham Forest is determined to complete the signing as soon as possible and has already begun talks with Liverpool to finalize the deal. The €60 million offered could be enough incentive for the Anfield club to greenlight the transfer, especially if the player isn’t part of Slot’s plans.
‘Despite Nottingham’s interest, there is still no definitive agreement, and other clubs could join the bidding for the Uruguayan striker. His potential and youth make him an attractive player for several European teams, so the transfer market could bring more surprises regarding his future.’
Former Manchester United defender Gary Pallister reckons Nunez “still has some growing up to do” and the Liverpool striker has “got to start learning his responsibility”.
Pallister said earlier this month: “Looking back to Liverpool’s game against Southampton on Saturday, I think if Darwin Nunez would have caught Kyle Walker-Peters differently I think that could have been a red card.
“He didn’t really follow through, though, but there was intent there. I think he wanted to make the foul and give him a whack, so I think the yellow was the right call. He does have that in his locker – we’ve seen it before where he can get agitated and annoyed and make a silly tackle.
“When you’re under the pressure that he is, especially when Liverpool were a goal down, he’s got to start learning his responsibility. He scored a good goal, though, and gave the reporters a little ‘shush’, but it’s clear to me that he’s still got some growing up to do and needs to understand what it means to play for Liverpool in those moments.”
