Darwin Nunez says yes to Liverpool exit but Reds face wait to offload unwanted star

Darwin Nunez has told Napoli that he is ready to leave Liverpool this summer - but the Italian club are ready to play a waiting game in a bid to force the Reds to drop their £70million valuation.

Nunez, the 26-year-old signing from Benfica, has come to the conclusion that he has no future at Anfield under boss Arne Slot after making just eight Premier League starts as the Dutchman landed the title in his first season in charge.

He has given Napoli the green light to find an agreement with Liverpool - but the Italian champions believe a deal of around £50million would represent a fair price for both clubs.

They are prepared to see how the summer transfer market develops, with Slot’s sights on adding a new striker to his team capable of bringing more goals on a consistent basis.

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Newcastle ’s Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike of Eintracht Frankfurt are both admired by the Liverpool boss - but both will cost big money.

After already spending £185million this summer on Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, the Merseysiders will want to generate full value for any departures.

Napoli are hoping that Victor Osimhen will accept a £67m move to Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal to strengthen their war chest.

That would give the Serie A club more scope to get closer to Liverpool’s valuation of Nunez, who scored just seven goals all season.

The Uruguayan wasn't used from the start by Slot for the final two months of the season, with the Reds requiring to make an extra payment to Benfica if he started one more league match after the 3-1 win over Southampton on March 8.

Nunez cost an initial £64m when he arrived from Benfica in the summer of 2022, with add-ons - including that aforementioned clause - potentially taking the fee up to £85m.

That would have made him Liverpool's most expensive player ever, but Germany international Wirtz has now taken that crown following his move from Bayer Leverkusen for an initial £100m which could rise to £116m - a British record transfer fee.

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