It may sound like a rumor from Portugal, Uruguay or a less credible source, but it is actually well informed Paul Joyce i The Times who writes that Chelsea tried Darwin Nunez before this season.
In that period, the press was mostly concerned with what happened around Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, who both ended up at Stamford Bridge, but in the background the Uruguayan striker was a talked about topic.
“There was speculation that Liverpool were considering getting rid of Darwin Nunez after a mediocre season. Rumors suggested the club were considering a loan move for Joao Felix, who was still at Atletico Madrid at the time. That rumor reached the desk of Chelsea’s sporting director Paul Winstantley,” writes Joyce.
No chance
According to The Times journalist, Winstantley had been an admirer of the 24-year-old ever since his time in Brighton, among other things based on various analyzes and data. The rumor turned out to be untrue, and Liverpool were not particularly impressed. “The rest is history,” writes Joyce.
It is true that Nunez did not have a fantastic start to his Anfield career last season, but Jürgen Klopp and the coaching staff were always clear that the striker was part of a long-term project. Fortunately, it never ended up with a sale or loan.
The Uruguayan has shown himself from a completely different side this season, and currently stands with thirteen goals and eleven assists in 37 games. That is five more than he had in the whole of 2022/23.
It will be interesting to see if Nunez will be ready for this weekend’s match against Chelsea. The striker left the Brentford game at half-time after a concussion, and was not involved in the 4-1 win over Luton. There is still hope that he can be ready for Sunday’s league cup final.