Darwin Nunez is in the midst of a career crisis - with Liverpool one of the teams linked with a rescue mission.
The outgoing Premier League champions sold Nunez to Al-Hilal last summer for an initial £46m. Nunez got off to a decent start in the Saudi Pro League but his club career has effectively been put on hold since February.
Al-Hilal signed Karim Benzema on a money-spinning deal - with Nunez being de-listed from the Riyadh giants’ domestic squad as a consequence.
The 27-year-old saw his place in the Uruguay squad come under threat as a result - with it now being claimed that head coach Marcelo Bielsa sees the former Reds’ No9 as “physically deteriorated”.
He has been restricted to bit-part roles at the World Cup and looks desperately short of match rhythm. Despite those shortcomings a deal for Nunez would be understandable for Richard Hughes and Liverpool.
As Al-Hilal are prepared to rip up his £400k per week contract Nunez would be coming with NO transfer fee. Given his familiarity with Anfield and his ability to cover centre-forward and left-wing this is a deal that comes with plenty of upsides.
But according to a report in Football Insider the Liverpool sporting director is ready to turn his back on a Nunez reunion.
“Liverpool are not currently in the race to sign Darwin Nunez despite reports of their interest in re-signing him emerging in recent weeks,” the report reads.
“He is still believed to be attracting interest from the Premier League, but a shock return to Merseyside is not on the cards as it stands.”
Nunez would no doubt require an intense preseason having failed to complete 90 minutes since January. That is time Liverpool simply cannot afford to waste - given their profound needs for cover at No9.
It means Nunez is set to be denied his Anfield homecoming - despite being reported to favour a move back to Merseyside.
Other Premier League teams - including Chelsea and Newcastle - have also been linked with the South American gunslinger - but it looks certain that Liverpool can be erased from this particular transfer race.
