The £38m sum that might impact Liverpool transfer decision over Darwin Nunez

The £38m sum that might impact Liverpool transfer decision over Darwin Nunez

Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez has been linked with a move away from Anfield

Darwin Nunez has become the topic of speculation after links with Saudi Arabia and AC Milan bringing his Liverpool future into question. (Image: Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images )

It would be fair to say that for all the support Darwin Nunez has had from the Anfield faithful, the Uruguayan has not quite yet lived up to his billing. His £85m price tag, inclusive of add-ons, in 2022 makes him the most expensive Liverpool signing ever.

There has been a major willingness on behalf of Reds fans to see the 25-year-old, who shone so brightly for Benfica prior to arriving on Merseyside, succeed at Anfield. And while there have been flashes of just why they were willing to part with so much money for his talents, the lack of a cutting edge in the final third has meant that it would be hard to argue the case that value for money has been achieved at this point.

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Across all competitions, Nunez has 37 goals in 122 games, a goals per game ratio of 0.3, that compares to the 0.56 he had during his time in Portugal, where he bagged 48 times in 85 games.

Former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp had been a big believer that Nunez would find his feet in the Premier League and really click into gear. But when this summer rolls around it will be three years since Nunez arrived at the club, and there is some question as to whether the patience Klopp had will continue under Arne Slot into a new season.

This past week has seen Nunez linked with a January move away, with Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal among those linked with a move, with some reports suggesting that a bid of £70m for the player had been in the offing.

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We’re halfway through the month of January and the transfer window being open, and while a large drop of cash might seem attractive, the reality is that little will change in terms of Nunez’s value between now and the end of the season, and Liverpool wouldn’t likely be able to find an impactful forward for a good market price before the window is out. They would also risk weakening their attacking options during a period where they are going for a Premier League title, leading the way in the UEFA Champions League, and have eyes on FA Cup and Carabao Cup success. Rotation will be needed.

It’s hard to see senior departures in January if it weakened what Slot has at his disposal for such a hectic schedule, and the Reds don’t need the money to stave off any such problems as profit and sustainability regulations.

But with areas set to be addressed in the summer, Nunez might be available, and if the interest was at the same level, with a similar price tag, what would it look like for the Reds in terms of a financial package?

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The Nunez fee was an initial £64m sum guaranteed. That sum is what is accounted for when we talk about amortisation, which is the spreading of a fee paid across the life of the player’s contract in the books. Nunez’s deal was five years.

The add-ons are booked as exceptional items in the accounts as and when the clauses are triggered. Some have already been triggered in the case of Nunez, with few left to activate, and those are linked to the competitive success of the team, which could arrive by the end of this season.

Using the £64m figure, Liverpool, by this summer, will have cleared three years of Nunez’s fee for accounting purposes (it isn’t the same as actually paying the instalments to the clubs owed). With an amortisation charge of £12.8m per year, Liverpool will have seen £38.4m drop off his book value, leaving a sum of £25.6m remaining.

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What that means is that any guaranteed fee over and above that book value will count as profit for the Reds, even though the likelihood is that they won’t be getting the same kind of fee that they paid for him. From a financial point of view it will aid matters in the summer if he were to move on for a good price, and positively impact the kind of money that Liverpool may be willing to shell out on a replacement or additions in other areas, as that £25.6m would have dropped off the liabilities for the football club.

Nunez could, of course, find his groove between now and the end of the season and either become indispensable to Slot and Liverpool, or at least raise his market value from where it currently stands. But looking at where the Reds might choose to engage in player trading, Nunez seems at some risk.

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