Romano drops massive Darwin Nunez exit claim in fresh Liverpool transfer bombshell

Fabrizio Romano has opened up on just how close Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez came to moving to the Saudi Pro League during the January transfer window – and it was ‘very close’.

The Uruguay forward has not exactly justified his hefty transfer fee since moving to Anfield in the summer of 2022, with Nunez largely considered a flop on Merseyside during his two-and-a-half seasons so far with the Reds.

Indeed, the 25-year-old immediately lost his starting role after Arne Slot replaced legendary boss Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and has only sparingly been given chances to prove the Dutchman wrong.

Nunez did impress in the Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg rout of Tottenham last week but could drop down to the bench again for Wednesday night’s Merseyside derby, as Slot’s men aim to move nine points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a win at Goodison.

And now, Romano has revealed that Liverpool were ‘very close’ to selling Nunez to Al-Nassr before pulling the plug on the deal in January.

Another Saudi Pro League outfit, Al-Hilal, were also rumoured to be keen on the forward last month, however, it’s now emerged that city rivals Al-Nassr were actually closer to striking a deal.

In fact, Romano reports that the two clubs were ‘very close’ to reaching an agreement on the finances of Nunez’s transfer and that the player himself also appeared open to the possibility of a lucrative switch to the Middle East.

The deal, however, collapsed when Liverpool suddenly decided against an exit, given the fact that they still had a shot at four trophies at that time – prior to the weekend’s shock FA Cup exit at Plymouth – and did not want to weaken Slot’s squad.

Indeed, the Anfield outfit did not have a replacement lined up and, due to the nature of the January window, felt that they would likely have had to overpay for an adequate replacement or upgrade.

Al-Nassr did eventually land a top No.9 when they moved for Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo instead in what was the most expensive deal of the winter window.

READ MORE ➡️ Liverpool star Slot loves ‘refuses to sign new deal’ with Chelsea, Newcastle leading four-club scramble

READ MORE ➡️ Mo Salah replacement: Seven top-class attackers Liverpool could sign as contract D-Day looms

Nunez faces fight for Merseyside derby spot

For Nunez, he now faces a straight fight with Diogo Jota to start Wednesday night’s clash at Everton, with in-form duo Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah starting on the wings.

Jota hardly had a kick against Plymouth in the cup exit, although Luis Diaz is another option who could play centrally as Slot expects his side to respond to the shock weekend result.

Speaking about how the Plymouth game could affect events at Goodison, Slot said: “It should have an impact because if you work at a club like this you should compete for every trophy. To lose against Plymouth is unacceptable. The performance was far from Liverpool’s standard.”

The game will be the last ever Merseyside derby to be played at Goodison as Everton prepare for their big move to Bramley-Moore Dock in the summer.

And Slot is confident his side will be able to cope with what is sure to be a special atmosphere, adding: “You have to be as calm as you can.

“It’s not the first time for these players to be playing in an atmosphere like this, but you have to stand up to these emotions.

“I presume our players are ready for another battle like they have been all season.”

How many out of Alexander-Arnold, Salah and Van Dijk do you think will sign new Liverpool contracts?