Liverpool star who joked about Saudi cash was in ‘advanced talks’ over £65m move

Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez has joked about the money he could earn in Saudi Arabia after being on the brink of a move there last month. The Uruguayan has struggled for game time under Arne Slot this season and has managed just six goals in all competitions.

His lack of form had led to speculation he would depart the club in January and was the subject of reported interest from Al-Nassr.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s club were said to have tabled an offer of more than £62million plus add-ons for the striker and held extensive talks with him before the proposed move was blocked.

That was seemingly due to Liverpool’s reluctance, given that they would have had little time left in the transfer window to source a replacement. Instead, the Saudi side targeted Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran, and duly signed the Colombian for a similar fee.

But Nunez himself might just have alerted Pro League bosses that he may be open to a future move. He joined team-mate Luis Diaz for a joint interview with Pro Direct, where the conversation turned to the pair’s love of cars.

Nunez, 25, revealed that he owned two cars in England and three currently in Spain. His long-term partner, Lorena Manas, comes from Almeria in the south east region of the country.

Diaz then accused him of having too much cash, to which Nunez quipped back: “No, I need more money.” The host then told the star he was backing him to score money goals and boost his bank balance via scoring bonuses.

But the former Benfica man had another idea. He replied: “Come on Saudi, ding ding.” The comment prompted laughter from Diaz, but may not have impressed Liverpool fans or his manager.

Nunez seemingly resurrected his season in January with a late brace at Brentford to give his side a 2-0 win. But he’s since been back under fire after missing a glorious late chance at Plymouth on Sunday as Liverpool went out of the FA Cup.

But following his ineffective cameo appearance off the bench, Slot defended the player. He revealed Nunez had been pencilled in to start at Home Park but his match preparation had been hampered by Manas giving birth to their second child.

“I think people know Darwin’s situation, that he became a dad one or two days before the game and that happened in Spain, so he came in a bit later,” he said. “So there were some circumstances that weren’t perfect.”