48 hours for Napoli to decide on Darwin Nunez deal! Liverpool ace in limbo as Serie A champions weigh striker options this summer

Sport Witness have stated that Corriere dello Sport in Italy report the Serie A winners would like Liverpool to reduce their £51million (€60m/$70m) asking price for Uruguayan striker Nunez and have essentially given the Reds 48 hours to do it, as they may move quickly onto €30m (£25m/$35m) target Lorenzo Lucca of Udinese after the two-day window.

Nunez is likely to want out of Anfield this summer after falling out of favour under Arne Slot, while the club would like to make back as much as possible of their £85million (€99m/$116m) outlay on the forward three years ago. Napoli have been linked for a while but their desired price reduction may cause a sticking point for the Premier League champions, leaving them with a decision to make quickly about whether they think they can obtain the full £51m elsewhere.

The 2024/25 season was Nunez's lowest-scoring campaign since he arrived in Europe in 2019, with just seven goals in all competitions under Slot. This is less than half the 18 he managed in Jurgen Klopp's final season and a long way off his career best of 34 in his final season with Benfica. These stats suggest Nunez has the quality to thrive, he may just need to find himself again elsewhere.

It may soon become clear whether the 26-year-old will be making a trip to Naples, or whether his search for a new club will continue deeper into the summer. As for Antonio Conte's side, they already have a replacement lined up and are in a strong negotiating position in that sense.