Darwin Nunez value to Liverpool clear as Atletico confirm transfer stance amid Arne Slot comments

It would appear Atletico Madrid are not a viable route out of Liverpool for Darwin Nunez in the approaching summer transfer window. Whilst the striker's departure this year may not come as a surprise, the Spanish side have now denounced all rumours linking them interest.

Simply put Nunez has been unable to force his way into Arne Slot's base plans in the head coach's first season with the Reds. On the right flank there is unequivocally Mohamed Salah, on the left Cody Gakpo is a nailed-on starter but through the centre of a three-pronged attack the standout figure has not been able to prove themselves.

In the Uruguayan's case he has started only 16 out of his 36 appearances this term, scoring six goals - a huge regression from his previous years under Jurgen Klopp. After his £85m arrival from Benfica he netted 15 times whilst suffering a barrage of criticism, last season his tally increased to 18, then we know how this year has played out.

Public words have been aired in recent weeks, only fanning the flames of change between this season and the next. It started with Slot issuing displeasure with his No.9's attitude in recent cameos off the bench against Wolves and Aston Villa, then he was left unused against Manchester City.

After the initial words, Nunez sent a defiant message to his wider critics on social media. He wrote: "I was not the best three weeks ago nor am I the worst now. If I fall, I get up. You will never see me throw in the towel. I will give it my all until the last day I am here in Liverpool. Resilience!"

Slot would later praise the player's reaction on the training field, though without a translation into goals for the team to show for it, alterations in the No.9 department this summer would still not raise many eyebrows. With three years remaining of the 25-year-old's contract he signed upon arrival in 2022, it would therefore come down to finding a suitor.

He has been linked with interest from Saudi Arabia throughout the current season - even joking himself about the vast wealth he could earn from playing in the Gulf state. Atletico's name is one that had also emerged, though CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin has now emphatically denied their club as an option.

"Nunez is not part of the club's contracting plans in the coming period, and what was published about our interest in the player is baseless," he explained. "We are not looking for a striker, but our team needs to strengthen in other positions, which is what Atletico Madrid’s management is discussing at the moment."

So, where do Liverpool go from here?

There would still be plenty of time to find a buyer in this prospective deal as the summer window opens for clubs competing in this summer's revamped FIFA Club World Cup on June 1, then properly for all clubs in England on June 12. The business period is then open through until August 29.

As an ambitious indicator of what Anfield chiefs could look to recoup on their £85m investment from three summers ago, the latest transfer valuation of Nunez arrived on January 8, 2025, from the well-respected CIES Observatory. The database, which compiles numerous factors such as a player's age, contract length, previous transfer fees, performance metrics and demographic components has listed the striker with a transfer value of €99.8m (£82.4m).

At the time that made him the 29th most valuable player amongst Europe's clubs, and if the club are able to secure that fee they would only be making a minimal loss overall.