Liverpool's most valuable asset named as Jude…

Liverpool's most valuable asset named as Jude Bellingham transfer decision becomes clear

While it may have been a campaign of transition to the English game for Darwin Nunez, he holds the highest transfer market value of the Liverpool squad.

That's according to data insights presented by analysts at Swiss-based CIES Football Observatory, who have compiled a database of more than 30,000 professional players and used a variety of metrics to determine value in the current market.

Nunez sits at a valuation of €80m (£69.6m), despite a challenging first season for the Reds since his move from Benfica last summer.

Sitting at a similar valuation for Liverpool is January signing Cody Gakpo, who was brought in for around £40m at the turn of the year from PSV Eindhoven, as well as Luis Diaz, who arrived for an initial £37.5m in January 2022 from Porto.

Diaz has been forced to watch from the sidelines for much of the campaign due to a knee injury that he picked up in October, with the Colombian having returned to action in recent weeks for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

The signing of both players and subsequent valuation rises - in the case of Gakpo a rise of around 69 per cent in just five months - represents the kind of value that Liverpool seek in the transfer market through their recruitment model.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah, Alisson Becker, Diogo Jota, Harvey Elliott and Ibrahima Konate are all pegged at the €60m mark, although the metrics don’t take into account the inflated premiums that clubs will add. It is hard to imagine the Reds would entertain bids of €60m for Salah, Konate or Alexander-Arnold if they were presented in a market that has been further distorted by Chelsea’s heavy spend.

In terms of players who Liverpool have been linked with a move for this summer, Brighton & Hove Albion’s Alexis Mac Allister has a valuation of around €60m, the same as team-mate Moises Caicedo, while West Ham United’s Declan Rice is placed at the same value. Chelsea’s Mason Mount is valued at €80m while Ajax’s Ryan Gravenberch carries a €30m tag. Meanwhile, Sporting CP’s Manuel Ugarte has a valuation of €20m, according to the CIES analysis.

Borussia Dortmund and England midfielder Jude Bellingham, a transfer target since abandoned by the Reds, carried a transfer value of €200m, the same as Manchester City’s goal-scoring phenomenon Erling Haaland. Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jnr and Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe top the overall list at €250m.

CIES use an econometric approach to assessing transfer fees, using large number of variables including contract length, economic power of the club, age, various performance-related factors and a historical look at transfer activity in recent windows to take into account inflation.

CIES also assessed the published club financial accounts to gather the residual transfer values of players received by clubs. Detailed financial information is also obtained from regional media across Europe as well as specialised websites

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