There was a time when it felt like Liverpool were frequently linked with players who had performed well in matches against them. Christian Benteke, who scored five goals in six games against the Reds for Aston Villa before netting 10 in 42 after joining, is perhaps the best example of this phenomenon.
A story claiming Liverpool were in for Kevin De Bruyne or Son Heung-Min would be instantly dismissed as fanciful. It’s impossible to see their clubs selling them to the Reds, as much as most Kopites would love to see them added to Jurgen Klopp’s squad.
However, that duo scored home and away against Liverpool this season and there are plenty of rumours suggesting the club might be in for the only other player to achieve that feat in 2021/22. The man in question is Benfica’s Darwin Nunez, who looks destined to move to one of Europe’s biggest clubs this summer.
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The 22-year-old halved the deficit shortly after the break when facing Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final, profiting when Ibrahima Konate failed to clear the ball. Nunez then scored the final goal of an entertaining 3-3 draw at Anfield in the reverse fixture with an excellent finish.
While these goals will have registered most highly with Liverpool fans, his total of 34 in 41 appearances in all competitions this season has reportedly sparked interest across the continent. Sport Witness have recently claimed that along with the Reds, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are all interested in signing Nunez.
As Liverpool’s conquerors from the Champions League final missed out on signing Kylian Mbappe – which obviously lessens PSG’s need for a forward – perhaps they are the more likely destination for the Benfica man. The fact Nunez has three years remaining on his contract could price him out of the Reds’ range too.
Yet in a world in which Sadio Mane departs from the club, the signing of Benfica’s number nine would make a lot of sense. Liverpool’s Senegalese international was the only man to score at least seven non-penalty Premier League goals from both left and central forward this season and though Nunez fell one goal short in the former position in the Primeira Liga, he did only make five appearances there.
But clearly his strengths lie through the middle, from where he scored 16 goals in league and Europe when starting in 2021/22. A look at his statistics shows exactly why Nunez was so productive. Per Fotmob, the Benfica forward averaged 0.85 expected goals per 90 minutes, a total only Robert Lewandowski topped in Europe’s big five leagues this season.
Having chances is one thing, putting shots on target is just as important. Once again, only Bayern Munich’s main man – with 2.35 attempts on target per 90 minutes – topped Nunez’ average of 2.0 among players in England, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal or Spain.
The potential Liverpool signing is creative too, as evidenced by his total of 10 clear-cut chances created in the Primeira Liga. That was the joint-14th most this season, though it’s worth noting that only four of the men above Nunez in those standings also reached double figures for goals, never mind scoring 26 times like he did.
The Uruguayan international – who has earned seven of his eight caps playing alongside Luis Suarez – can also carry the ball up field well. Based on his record in the Champions League this season, Nunez is among the top 12 percent of forwards in the big leagues for completing dribbles and the leading nine percent for progressive carries (those which progress the ball at least five yards or into the penalty box).
Liverpool added this dimension to their attack in style with Luis Diaz and perhaps they can amplify that aspect of their game with another signing from Portugal. The fact Nunez has already faced them and scored twice means they are all too aware of what he can do.
