Richard Hughes given GOLDEN chance to fix Jurgen Klopp's biggest transfer mistake

Back in 2022 Liverpool made Darwin Nunez their most expensive-ever player. The Uruguay international, now 25, was signed from Benfica for a fee that could eventually reach £85 million.

And although Nunez has just been crowned a Premier League champion, it’s fair to say the transfer hasn’t exactly worked out for the club or the player.

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From the moment he was sent off against Crystal Palace during the early part of his Liverpool career until last weekend when he hastily deleted an ill-advised tweet about his game time, Nunez never really fit in.

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His output has been far lower than expected - especially given the fee involved - and now an exit looks inevitable.

Liverpool will seek to recoup as much of their £85m as possible and potential suitors for the former Benfica forward are reported to include Atletico Madrid, Fenerbahce and Saudi Arabia.

If sporting director Richard Hughes manages to bring in around £70m for Nunez this summer then he will be out the door.

Liverpool linked once again with Nkunku

Attention will then turn to finding a replacement and Liverpool have an intriguing prospect of righting a transfer wrong.

Back in 2022, Jurgen Klopp still ruled the roost. It has since been reported that the manager went AGAINST the club’s advice to sign Darwin - who was impressive over two legs against the Reds in the Champions League that season.

Instead, the recruitment team with a very good track record in landing forwards, were pulling for Christopher Nkunku.

“Núñez was very much a Klopp signing (Liverpool’s recruitment think-tank preferred Christopher Nkunku, then of RB Leipzig, who has spent this season injured at Chelsea),” wrote Paul Joyce in the Times.

Nkunku didn’t leave Leipzig that summer but it wasn’t long until the Blues tied up a deal valued at around £52m.

If Nunez’s deal hasn’t worked out, it would be only fair to say that Nkunku’s has probably been worse.

Nkunku's Chelsea move has FAILED

The 27-year-old signed a contract until 2029 but like many signings under Todd Boehly, he hasn’t found his way.

This season he’s played only 29 percent of the minutes available to him in the Premier League due to injuries - and a seeming incompatibility with Enzo Marescca’s style of play.

He’s only got three goals and two assists in the top flight this term and his starts have been mostly in the UEFA Conference League and domestic cups.

The situation has reached a crescendo with a flurry of stories now confirming that the forward wants to leave Chelsea this summer.

Liverpool have once again been credited with interest. But is this a transfer that Liverpool should contest?

At first glance the club might be encouraged to steer clear. His wages are estimated at £195,000 per week, according to Capology, and eight of his 17 Blues goals to date include five in this season’s Conference League and a hat-trick in the EFL Cup against Barrow.

But there is certainly still a player there and one that could thrive in the right circumstances. Liverpool could do a lot worse than take Nkunku on loan - for example - with an option to buy down the line.

Nkunku's numbers are solid

Arne Slot has got vast improvements out of several of this Liverpool squad and no doubt club staff will have dossiers on Nkunku; a lot of their transfer homework is already done.

And even though the sample size is small this season, the underlying Premier League numbers from FBREF are pretty good.

His non-penalty expected goals + expected assists per 90 minutes total this season is 0.68 - comparing favourably to Diogo Jota’s 0.73 and Darwin’s 0.56.

He puts 44 percent of his shots on target, as opposed to 36.4 percent for Nunez and 27.1 percent for Jota.

His expected assisted goals per 90 is higher (0.21) than Liverpool’s striking options (0.14 for Jota and 0.10 for Nunez) and he provides more key passes, more passes into the final third and more passes into the penalty area per 90 than Nunez and Diaz.

He also makes 3.32 shot-creating actions per 90, with Jota on 2.73 and Nunez on 2.31. Nkunku has got more touches, more take-ons and more carries per 90 too.

As evidenced above, he is a lot more involved in the play, not seeking to be played in all the time and not solely seeking goals for himself. He would be a centre forward as opposed to a striker, allowing Mo Salah to thrive on the right.

In the right circumstance, this is a bargain to be had. And don't forget his versatility; he can play both wings and even in behind as a No10 or attacking midfielder.

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Things haven’t worked out for Klopp’s first-choice, Nunez, whose transfer now must go down as a mistake. Liverpool have an opportunity to put it right by doing what they should have done in the first place - signing Nkunku.