Huge Darwin Nunez Liverpool exit development as title favourites plot Kevin De Bruyne link-up

Darwin Nunez has attracted a new suitor to take him away from Liverpool, with his latest admirers installing him as one of three striker targets to play ahead of dream midfield target Kevin De Bruyne, according to reports.

Liverpool look likely to move on from Nunez after three seasons this summer due to his struggles for consistency in front of goal. They may have won the Premier League title with him this season, but they might stand an even better chance of retaining their crown – something they haven’t done since 1983-84 – with a better goalscorer in his place.

But as one of their most expensive signings of all time, Nunez is someone who will probably have to be shifted first. On that front, despite his downturn in fortunes recently, there are still a few clubs keeping tabs on him.

According to the latest update from Corriere Dello Sport, Nunez has now caught the attention of Napoli, who are in pole position to win Serie A this season.

Napoli’s current striker is Romelu Lukaku, who has scored 12 goals since being sold by Chelsea. While there doesn’t seem to be any plan to ditch Lukaku, Napoli have made a shortlist of strikers they could add to their squad.

Nunez is one of the names on the list, along with Jonathan David from Lille (who’s about to become a free agent) and Samu Aghehowa from FC Porto.

There’s no mention yet of how much Napoli would be willing to pay for Nunez, but that must be partially because their main focus at the moment is on taking De Bruyne to Serie A after he leaves Manchester City at the end of his contract.

There have even been whispers about De Bruyne going to Liverpool, but sources closer to the club have ruled that out.

Napoli are now working hard on a deal for the Belgium playmaker, who would be tasked with teeing up chances for whoever leads the line in Naples such as Nunez.

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Nunez to Napoli backed up by multiple sources

In recent days, Sport Italia reporter Alfredo Pedulla has also reported that Napoli are looking at Nunez, who could be valued up to €55m (£46.5m) by Liverpool.

One factor that could have an impact on Nunez’s future is his wages. He is currently one of Liverpool’s top 10 highest earners and his salary is higher than anyone on Napoli’s books.

Liverpool still have Nunez under contract until 2028, so time is on his side as well if he wants to pick the right destination.

As things stand, there has been no information about his thoughts on Napoli as a potential next club.

Napoli have a rich history of Uruguayans playing for them. Edinson Cavani had a successful spell there, for example, as did midfielder Walter Gargano.

The current Napoli squad also contains one of Nunez’s international teammates, the left-back Mathias Oliveira.

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Every club linked with Darwin Nunez

Atletico Madrid – Nunez made his first steps in European football in Spain, but only in the second tier with Almeria. Now, he could get the chance to play in LaLiga after Atletico Madrid made him an option. Iconic head coach Diego Simeone could add another South American striker to his squad by signing Nunez, one year after getting Julian Alvarez from Manchester City. Intriguingly, Alvarez has been named as someone Liverpool admire, though there’s no suggestion yet of a swap deal.

Saudi Pro League – In January, there was a genuine attempt to take Nunez to the Saudi Pro League – and it’s believed he would have held some kind of interest in going there. If European suitors aren’t fully convinced by Nunez, moving to the Middle East could be a viable solution still for the summer. It will still have to be decided which club he would be assigned to in Saudi Arabia. Al-Nassr, for example, signed Jhon Duran from Aston Villa instead of Nunez, so now have less of a need. Al-Hilal also made a move for Nunez in January, so may be ones to watch.

Nottingham Forest – One of the Premier League’s big overachievers this season, Nottingham Forest have never been afraid to spend since their return to the top flight. They are still in with a shout of European football and their growing ambitions have led to some exploration of a move for Nunez. Rudy Galetti revealed in a TEAMtalk exclusive in March that Forest had begun tracking Nunez amid their ambitions to bring in a high-profile new striker. Since then, they have fallen back a bit in the Champions League race, but they are still willing to walk a financial tightrope to strengthen their squad.

Arsenal – This would be a surprising choice, but Arsenal need a centre-forward and there have been some rumours of Nunez being a contender. Neither Gabriel Jesus nor Kai Havertz have fully convinced at centre-forward for the Gunners. A move to Arsenal would give Nunez a lifeline in the Premier League, although the reports haven’t yet come from strong sources. And anyway, it’s a guaranteed upgrade Arsenal need after failing to catch Liverpool in the title race this season; there’s little evidence to suggest Nunez would represent that.

Newcastle United – Virtually every top club would like to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle, who are going to play hardball in an attempt to keep the Sweden striker but might have to prepare themselves with a list of some replacements. Nunez might not feature too prominently on that list, but Liverpool have been tipped to put him on offer as a makeweight in their own move for Isak. However, Newcastle would prefer not to sell the highly-valued Isak at all and qualifying for the Champions League would boost their chances of keeping him, while lessening their need for another striker.

AC Milan – There were some rumours in January that AC Milan could offer Nunez a new challenge in Italy, but TEAMtalk learned they were unlikely to sanction a move of that kind of value. They opted to sign Santiago Gimenez from Feyenoord instead, but are expected to send Tammy Abraham back to Roma in the summer after his loan spell, so there has been a revival of striker links for the Serie A side and Nunez has been brought up again – although once again, only time will tell how serious that speculation is.

Napoli – Another route into Serie A for Nunez could be with Napoli after he emerged as one of the names on their shortlist for attacking reinforcements for the summer, per reports in Italy. Antonio Conte has often favoured a system with two strikers throughout his career, but has been playing a 4-3-3 since taking the Napoli job with Romelu Lukaku leading the line.

River Plate – What if Nunez opts to return to South America? Six years after leaving Penarol in his native Uruguay to arrive in Europe, he has now been linked with a move to Argentine giants River Plate. They would be wanting a deal early as well, since they are said to have pinpointed him as a player who could boost their efforts in the Club World Cup, which begins on June 15.