Liverpool look like they’re going to be busy this summer.
Sadio Mane is seemingly on his way out of the club, and now, it looks like the Reds could replace the Senegalese star with Darwin Nunez.
Indeed, the Uruguayan is being linked to the Reds in reports by The Times, The Athletic and The Daily Mail, so it’s fair to say there are some legs to this story.
The Merseyside club will reportedly have to break their transfer record in order to sign Nunez, and you have to imagine that he’ll be a key player in this team if he is to join for such a big fee.
With that in mind, we’ve analysed four ways Liverpool could line-up with Nunez in the team.
The first, and perhaps most likely, way Liverpool could line-up with Nunez in the side is with the Uruguayan acting as an immediate replacement for Mane in that central striker role the Senegal international has occupied in recent months.
Nunez is a natural number nine, so he’d fit in very well in that role, and this is probably the most likely way he’ll be utilised at Anfield if he were to arrive.
This XI is a little more far-fetched, but don’t be surprised if you see this exact team fielded by Klopp at some point next season.
Standing at 6’2, Nunez is a more natural centre-forward, but he’s also brilliant down the left wing.
Throughout his career he’s been fielded on the left nine times, and in those games, he’s scored 11 goals – an incredible return.
Factor in that Nunez’s aerial ability will make him a real target for Trent Alexander-Arnold’s back-post crosses, and a left-wing role could be the best place for the Uruguayan.
Diogo Jota is a player that nobody should be writing off, and there’s every chance that he and Nunez could together compete with Luis Diaz for a starting role.
As with the last XI, this team sees Nunez utilised as a left-winger, but it also sees the return of the false nine in Jurgen Klopp’s system.
A few years ago, Roberto Firmino was redefining the centre-forward position as a false nine at Anfield, and if Nunez arrives, we could once again see the Brazilian work his magic as a creative force with Mohamed Salah and Nunez running in behind.
However, it may not only be Firmino vying for that position next term.
Indeed, Fabio Carvalho has just joined the club, and while the youngster is yet to make his Liverpool debut, it surely won’t be long before his talent shines through and he’s making an impact at Anfield.
The final XI is a rather more pessimistic one, but we have to account for the possibility that Nunez doesn’t adapt well to the Premier League.
Diogo Jota has proven his quality at this level time and time again for Liverpool, and while Nunez is the bigger name, he may struggle to match the output of the Portuguese sensation. After all, Nunez has never played a single minute of football in a traditional top-5 European league.
In this XI, Nunez doesn’t make enough of an impact to hold down a starting spot and acts as more of a bench player, but, of course, every Liverpool fan will be hoping that the Benfica ace can hit the ground running if he arrives at Anfield.
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