Liverpool swap deal proposed that would see Darwin Nunez make way for £80m man

Liverpool swap deal proposed that would see Darwin Nunez make way for £80m man

A Liverpool icon has proposed a swap deal that could see Darwin Nunez leave the club this summer to bring home a young English talent currently playing abroad

Liverpool have been advised to swap Darwin Nunez for Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Gittens (Image: PA )

Anfield great Didi Hamann has proposed Liverpool trade Darwin Nunez this summer in their bid to land Jamie Gittens. And the former Bayern Munich midfielder believes a swap between the two parties is "not that far fetched."

It's been almost three years since the Reds signed Nunez from Benfica for an initial £64million. But despite a promising start to life at Anfield, the Uruguayan has struggled for consistency at Liverpool and has just seven goals in 42 appearances this season.

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Gittens operates off the flank but has 12 goals in 43 outings this term, albeit also struggling to piece together long patches of scoring form. But Hamann believes the 20-year-old - who is reportedly valued between £65milliion and £80m - would be a smart signing for his old team.

"One option that could work is Jamie Gittens and Darwin Nunez in a swap deal between Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund," he told InstantCasino. "Gittens started the season on fire and was almost carrying the team for the first three months of the season.

"Since the new manager arrived he has found things a bit hard and not started many games, because the new manager is looking for the hardest workers. He needed time to adapt but came off the bench and scored on Saturday, hopefully he will have an impact in the Champions League. But I would say that Gittens and Nunez in a swap deal is not that far fetched."

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Any trade would not be a like-for-like swap given Nunez operates mostly up front, while Gittens does his best work from the left wing. However, that restructure could make sense given Diogo Jota is the preferred choice at the tip of Arne Slot's spear.

Slot has shown a preference to field Cody Gakpo on the left, which could get in the way of any move for Gittens. The Netherlands international has 16 goals and six assists in 42 games this season and needs just one more finish to set a new personal best at Anfield.

Gittens is enjoying a breakout campaign in Germany (Image: Denis Doyle )

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Despite arriving for such a substantial fee, Nunez appears to have fallen out of favour under Slot this season. The 25-year-old has started just one of Liverpool's last 14 Premier League games and has developed a cult-like reputation for fluffing chances in front of goal.

Jurgen Klopp signed the South American as a raw talent in 2022, a then-22-year-old who possessed considerable athleticism but needed plenty of refinement. Almost three years on and Nunez is still displaying some of the same careless characteristics that first raised eyebrows in England.

Compare that with Gittens, who appears to have added new strings to his bow in the midst of a breakthrough campaign in Gelsenkirchen. The youngster scored just five goals in 58 senior appearances for Dortmund coming into this season but seems to have arrived at the elite level after more than doubling that tally in a single term.

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Nunez has started just one of Liverpool's last 14 league games (Image: Andrew Powell/Getty Images )

Gittens also brings added value to any Liverpool transfer given the Englishman would count towards the club's homegrown quota. The Reading native spent part of his formative years with the Royals before joining the academies of Chelsea and Manchester City, eventually leaving the latter for Germany in 2020.

Both players are contracted with their respective clubs until 2028, though Nunez may not fit Dortmund's usual profile in a player. The same can't be said for Gittens, however, as the Black and Yellows continue their trend of developing English unknowns into highly desirable assets.

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