
Liverpool
Premier League • England
Liverpool agonising over accepting £41.5m Darwin Nunez bid, with possible replacement named

Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez
A European giant are in ‘direct contact’ with Liverpool over the signing of misfiring striker Darwin Nunez in January, and the Uruguayan’s potential replacement could come from within the Premier League, according to reports.
Nunez, 25, cost Liverpool £64m (rising to £85m through add-ons) when bought from Benfica two and a half years ago. Should Nunez achieve most of those add-ons, he’ll become Liverpool’s most expensive ever signing, surpassing Virgil van Dijk’s mark of £75m.
Unfortunately for the Reds, Nunez has not played like a record-breaking buy and his wastefulness in front of goal, patchy link-up play and struggles to stay onside remain constant sources of frustration.
Arne Slot wasted little time installing Diogo Jota as his go-to man to lead the line prior to his rib injury. Nunez initially deputised in Jota’s absence, though not to any great effect. More recently, Luis Diaz has proven a revelation as a makeshift centre-forward while Jota is eased back into the fold.
According to a fresh update from Italian outlet AC Milan TMN, Liverpool have the chance to call time on Nunez’s eventful spell at Anfield to the tune of €50m (£41.5m / $52m).
It was claimed AC Milan have opened talks with Liverpool over a six-month loan spell that would contain an obligation to buy.
Per the report, Milan are offering a loan fee of €5m to sign Nunez for six months in January, with the deal then becoming permanent for an extra €45m in the summer.
Taking to X, the outlet stated: ‘AC Milan are in direct contact with Liverpool FC over Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez in a bid to strengthen their attack ahead of next summer.
‘The Rossoneri offer for the former Benfica player is a loan of €5m with an obligation to buy for €45m and the Reds are considering accepting it due to the problems the Uruguayan has had in recent years.’
Will Liverpool accept? / Possible replacement named
Nunez was an unused substitute during the 5-0 thumping of West Ham on Sunday. With Jota now back in contention following his rib injury, Nunez’s importance could plummet in the second half of the season.
Nonetheless, it would still come as something of a surprise to see Liverpool sell a first-team player in the January window given they’re still competing for trophies on four fronts.
Strength in depth will be critical and recent history during the Jurgen Klopp years showed how quickly a once-promising season can implode once the injuries and fixture pile-up bites.
Nonetheless, a package totalling £41.5m could be tempting for Liverpool given Nunez’s persistent struggles since moving to Anfield. A deal would also pave the way for the Reds to sign a more reliable replacement either next month or in the summer.
On that front, Mail Online recently confirmed Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap is in Liverpool’s sights.
Ipswich signed the 21-year-old striker from Manchester City last summer in a deal worth up to £20m. Man City have a buy-back clause in Delap’s contract, while Chelsea and Manchester United are also known to be monitoring the player.
Clearly, Liverpool wouldn’t have a deal all to themselves if making a move, though Ipswich are relatively powerless to prevent an exit.
Aside from City’s buy-back clause, there is also a release clause in Delap’s contract for other clubs. How much the clause is set at was not divulged by Mail Online.
Delap is Ipswich’s top scorer this season, with his mark of six goals at least double the amount returned by every other player in Kieran McKenna’s squad.
Another striker Liverpool have shown confirmed interest in is Eintracht Frankfurt’s Omar Marmoush.
Sky Germany previously revealed Mohamed Salah’s Egyptian teammate would immediately agree to join Liverpool if offered the opportunity.
A subsequent update revealed Liverpool had firmed up their interest and Marmoush’s sale in the summer of 2025 was labelled ‘likely.’
Marmoush has been in irresistible form this term, scoring 18 goals and providing 12 assists in 30 appearances for Frankfurt.
Latest Liverpool news – Wataru Endo, Martin Zubimendi
In other news, Mail Online state Fulham are weighing up an approach to sign Wataru Endo in January.
The holding midfielder has struggled mightily for minutes since Arne Slot took charge and Fulham could launch a move if Liverpool indicate they’re willing to do business.
Elsewhere, multiple reports claim Real Madrid could land yet another blow on Liverpool in the transfer market.
Los Blancos are not only chasing Trent Alexander-Arnold, but have now entered the race for Martin Zubimendi – Liverpool’s No 1 target from last summer.
Real Madrid previously denied Liverpool their top midfield targets in the summer windows of 2022 (Aurelien Tchouameni) and 2023 (Jude Bellingham).
They could now make it a hattrick with Zubimendi and the Spanish giant hold two distinct advantages over the Reds.