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Darwin Nunez of Liverpool(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Darwin Nunez's Liverpool future remains in doubt after a difficult campaign - and now there are question marks over his position as the club's record transfer.

Nunez has fallen down the attacking pecking order since the arrival of Arne Slot as head coach 12 months ago and is expected to be a target for several clubs during the summer.

Nunez was signed from Benfica in the summer of 2022 with Liverpool committing a club record €100million - £85.4m - on capturing the Uruguay international.

The deal consisted of an initial fee of €75million - which converted to £64m at the time - with a further €25m of achievable add-ons.

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While neither Benfica nor Liverpool have confirmed the exact breakdown of the additional fees, there have been various claims since the transfer of the agreement between the two clubs.

There was a report in Portuguese outlet A Bola in April that suggested Benfica were paid €5m when the forward reached 10 starts in the Premier League and Champions League combined, another €5m when reaching 35 and a further €5m when tallying 60.

The remaining €10m was dependent on a number of milestones - ranging from the amount of goals scored by Nunez to winning the Champions League.

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Nunez has made 59 starts combined in the Premier League and Champions League for Liverpool, but has been in the XI only once since early February when scoring in the top-flight home win over Southampton.

Slot, though, emphatically rejected claims he had been told not to hand Nunez another start so the Reds could avoid the extra pay-out, and said in April: “So mainly sporting directors are judged by the players they bring in, for me it’s very important to have a great working environment and I have that with Richard (Hughes).

“The last, last, last, last, last thing he would do, as I expect working with him for 10 months, is tell me ‘if you play him it would cost us this much’.

That, he would never, never, never do."

Now A Bola has claimed Benfica are resigned to missing out on the €5m bonus payment given their expectation Nunez will be sold by Liverpool this summer.

The Saudi Pro League, from whom the Reds rejected an approach in January for Nunez, and Spanish side Atletico Madrid are among a number of reported potential suitors for the striker.

A Bola also contend Benfica are now anticipating a maximum payment of €85m from Liverpool, which would total £72m - making Nunez the Reds' second more expensive transfer behind the £75m spent to take Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in January 2018.

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That would appear to suggest the raft of milestones in the final €10m add-on instalment have not been reached.

Regardless, with Nunez now a likely departure, it seems increasingly certain Liverpool won't have to pay the full amount agreed with Benfica three years ago.