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Having made their interest in Darwin Nunez known back in January, there was likely some surprise at Liverpool that the first part of the summer transfer window closed without a concerted effort from the Saudi Pro League.

At the turn of the year, Al Nassr were the club who made their admiration known to the Reds before it was decided that all hands were needed to remain on deck as a sustained and ultimately successful push for the Premier League title started to emerge.

And while the Uruguay striker only started two games from December 26 onwards in the league - in Anfield victories over relegated duo Leicester City and Southampton - the call to retain Nunez was proven to be the correct call.



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A return of five goals in the Premier League may not read like a booming statistic that proves Liverpool's refusal to sell as the correct stance but losing an attacker at such an important part of the campaign would have been an unnecessary risk that would have incurred the considerable wrath of supporters had it backfired.

Nunez may have endured his least prolific of his three terms to date on Merseyside but his match-winning cameo at Brentford in January was one of the moments of the season, while he also equalised and won a penalty in the second half of a 3-1 win against Southampton in March.

With a bottle Carlsberg and a Cuban cigar in one hand and a 'champions' shirt draped over him on April 27, after a victory over Tottenham had confirmed the title itself, there could be few grumblings about Nunez choosing to revel in his new status, even for his most staunch critics, of which there had been a swelling of numbers during the campaign under Slot.

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"Premier League champion, let them tell it however they want" posted the Reds' No.9 alongside an emoji of an exhaling face and a red heart.

You very rarely find someone who does the same in the same team.

"So I am sure conversations are ongoing with Arne Slot and if he says he wants Darwin as a valued member of the team then I think he should stay.

It's only if the club turns around and says: 'Look, it's not happening for you, it's not happening for us.

Liverpool insist no formal offer has been forthcoming for Nunez, who cost an initial £64m three years ago in a deal that saw £21m worth of add-ons bolted on.

With Florian Wirtz on the cusp of a club-record £116m switch from Bayer Leverkusen, however, it's thought that any more dips into the market for attacking talent will only be forthcoming once there is movement from inside the squad, with Nunez one of a handful of players whose futures are the subject of speculation.

Luis Diaz is wanted by Barcelona, although Liverpool are reluctant to do business, while Cody Gakpo has been tentatively linked with Bayern Munich and Federico Chiesa barely featured in his maiden Merseyside term last time out.

It is Nunez, though, who perhaps remains the blue chip for Liverpool if they are to use funds to reconfigure their frontline further this summer.

Collymore, who was speaking on behalf of NewBettingOffers.co.uk, adds: "If there is a player who will leave, I think it will be Darwin.

I don't think he's come out and said he is either ecstatically happy or desperately sad.

"I think he has got his head down like most of the Liverpool squad and it's only when they go on international duty you get the odd naughty journalist who throws in the odd question and maybe it gets mistranslated and Darwin is off.

"I think if you're playing at Liverpool as champions of England and the club is bringing in someone like Wirtz you think you can stick it out, make hay and get your head and continue to find that one season.

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"It's only if the club say they want to desperately offload him but I haven't heard that either, so I think it's going to be an interesting summer.

I felt I left Liverpool a year early and it was because Michael Owen was coming into the team.

"So I thought I wouldn't get the game time, whereas with Darwin, he's got Mo who is staying and he is the main attacking conduit and we know there is a new attacking midfielder who is going to create plenty of chances and there are widemen who can create, whether it is Gakpo or Diaz.

"I would just stick it out for another year if I was Darwin, because his overall record in all competitions, goals-to-games ratio ain't that bad.
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