LIVERPOOL CONFIDENTIAL: The truth about the Saudi chase for Darwin Nunez

The Saudi Arabian interest in Darwin Nunez is real — but Liverpool fully back the striker and their stance is staunch: he is not for sale.

Liverpool Confidential understands that Al Nassr made approaches to sign Nunez in January but these were swiftly rebuffed as the Premier League leaders see him as central to their plans.

In the last few weeks alone, he scored a brace off the bench to win the game at Brentford and put in strong showings against Bournemouth and Tottenham.

Slot has dedicated a significant amount of time with Nunez on the training ground. There is a belief that the striker could improve but also Slot has made adjustments as he seeks out a tactical way of making his No 9 more involved.

The Dutchman said last week: ‘He’s been better indeed. In general we use the No 9 better and better than we did in the beginning of the season.

‘We used to be quite dependent on our wingers but now we are starting to use our No 9 more and more.’

The Saudi Pro League has not been put off by Liverpool’s reluctance to sell and are expected to continue with their pursuit in the summer. Sources in the Gulf state have told Confidential that the league is planning a big investment across the board in 2025.

Al Nassr already employ Liverpool legend Sadio Mane, as well as Jhon Duran after a £64million move in from Aston Villa in January. Other foreign stars in their lineup include Aymeric Laporte, a five-time Premier League winner with Manchester City, former Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic and, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Although the feeling externally is that Nunez is struggling at Anfield, this is certainly not a view held inside the building and Liverpool continue to strive to get the best out of the man they signed from Benfica for an initial £63m fee in 2022.

Nunez’s partner gave birth last week and he has missed a couple of training sessions because of this but was part of the squad at Plymouth on Sunday in the FA Cup defeat.

MAJOR BLOW FOR STRICKEN MORTON 

Young midfielder Tyler Morton will require surgery on a shoulder injury that could rule him out for three months, Confidential can reveal.

It has been a frustrating season for the 22-year-old after spending last year on loan at Championship Hull City, playing with the likes of now-Premier League stars Jacob Greaves, Jaden Philogene and Liam Delap.

He would have been allowed to leave in the summer but Liverpool preferred a sale, ruling a number of clubs out of the running. Bayer Leverkusen were one of those, promising him an important role in Xabi Alonso’s side.

But the Anfield club wanted a permanent move for around £20m, despite Leverkusen making the point that a season playing for the German champions – who are in the Champions League – could increase his value.

Middlesbrough were interested in signing Morton on deadline day last week but were not willing or able to stump up the required cash.

What is worth saying, though, is that Liverpool are said to have been great with Morton. When it appeared he would not be leaving in January, it was decided he would have surgery on the shoulder injury that he sustained against Southampton in December.

This will allow Morton, who has been capped eight times for England Under 21s, to recover fully for the summer – when it is largely expected he will depart the club he joined aged seven.

Liverpool tend not to put definite time scales on injuries but Morton will undergo surgery and then need to have a course of rehabilitation so it will be at least a couple of months on the sidelines.

NYONI NIGGLE COSTS KOP KIDS

Sticking on the theme of injury news for players hoping to break into the first team, Trey Nyoni was spotted walking around the AXA Training Centre with a protective boot on his foot and ankle.

It could explain why the 17-year-old was not part of the squad for the Reds’ UEFA Youth League exit at Stuttgart on Tuesday afternoon, as Barry Lewtas’s side lost on penalties.

Though a better reason for his exclusion could be that Nyoni started at Plymouth for the first team on Sunday. He has been a regular in Arne Slot’s training sessions.

Confidential understands Nyoni is not seriously injured and was wearing the boot purely as precaution after a knock.

BLADES EYE TWO LIVERPOOL LOANEES

Championship high-flyers Sheffield United are showing interest in two of Liverpool’s young talent out on loan.

Owen Beck and Lewis Koumas are thriving at Blackburn and Stoke respectively and the Blades have put them on a long list of targets for the summer should they win promotion back to the Premier League.

Chris Wilder’s long-term right-hand man Alan Knill knows the pair well after working with them for Wales, where he has served as an assistant to Rob Page.

Koumas, son of former footballer Jason, has scored three goals and notched two assists for the Potters, while Ian Rush’s great-nephew Beck is a regular for play-off chasing Rovers.

United’s pursuit probably depends on promotion but the pair are both playing well and will have more interest come the summer.

HATS OFF TO THE BUS DRIVERS

Cody Gakpo may have won Liverpool’s player of the month but also spare a thought for those behind the scenes…

And one fascination I have at the moment is thinking of ‘the team behind the team’ at top-level football clubs.

Not even the swathes of fitness experts and the masseuses – there is a specialist for everything these days – but the ones even more unseen than those. One that is worth highlighting this week is the bus drivers.

When making the short journey back to my Cheshire home from Kirkby on Friday afternoon after the Arne Slot press conference, I drove past one of the Liverpool team buses on its way to Plymouth.

They were then on hand at Exeter airport on Saturday afternoon as the players and first-team staff flew to the south west and were picked up by bus from the runway, taking them to their base for the weekend at the plush St Mellion Estate resort in Cornwall.

Top clubs are criticised for flying due to environmental worries but the reason for this is that it is better for players in terms of comfort and ease, plus they will be able to eat at proper meal times and spend less time cramped up on a bus.

After following Liverpool home and away this season, I know a fair percentage of my life is spent battling traffic and train carnage on journeys to places such as Bournemouth, Southampton (twice this season), Newcastle and London (nearly every other weekend).

So fair play to those bus drivers. I took a mental note of the numberplate as I passed them on the M6 and then smiled as I saw them pull into Plymouth’s Home Park stadium 48 hours later. I wonder if they have made it home yet!

FIRMI-NO IN SAUDI

Former Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino faces an uncertain future after being banished from Saudi Arabian club Al Ahli.

The Brazilian has been left out of their 25-man squad for the remainder of the season after the club splashed the cash on Porto forward Galeno for around £42m in January. They also have Ivan Toney and Riyad Mahrez.

Only 10 foreign players can be registered to Saudi squads and thus, Al Ahli have left Firmino out of their plans.

It leaves the 33-year-old’s future in doubt. Maybe he will follow in Neymar’s footsteps and return to his home country of Brazil to see out his career?

KING KENNY CLOCKS UP THE MILES

Sir Kenny Dalglish had a busy weekend. ‘King Kenny’ was spotted at the AXA Training Centre on Saturday, watching Liverpool Under 18s come from two goals down to draw against Manchester United.

Liverpool were without key names like Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni, who were in the first-team squad for Sunday’s FA Cup defeat at Plymouth Argyle.

And come Sunday, Dalglish was at Home Park in the directors’ box as Argyle knocked Liverpool out.

GOOD OMEN FOR TRAVELLING KOP?

Liverpool have been granted an allocation of 32,196 tickets for next month’s Carabao Cup Final against Newcastle with general admission prices ranging from £41 to £108 for adults.

Liverpool fans will be seated on the east side of Wembley, which is where they were seated last year when Jurgen Klopp’s side beat Chelsea in the final.

Meanwhile, Newcastle have been allocated 31,939 tickets for the final and will be housed in the West side of Wembley, which is where they when they lost to Manchester United in the Carabao Cup final two years ago.

Meanwhile, an Essex police officer was this week sacked after admitting he took part in tragedy chanting during a Liverpool match last year. Sergeant Tyler Coppin has been handed a three-year banning order and made to pay £645 in fines.

WARK CONFUSION

No club has more legends working the lounges to greet sponsors and corporate guests than Liverpool, but sometimes the passage of time can lead to misidentification from supporters.

Eighties midfield goal machine John Wark, famed in his pomp for his jet-black hair and accompanying thick dark moustache, has regularly made the long trip from his home in Suffolk to be a guest at Anfield.

Now bald with a thin wispy grey ‘tache, the Scotsman can see the funny side of being mistaken for another Liverpool old boy.

‘I love my trips and meeting the fans is great,’ he reports. ‘Often, I’m greeted with excitement and calls of “Bruce, Bruce”. They think I’m Bruce Grobbelaar!’

Speaking of former cult heroes, Sami Hyypia is the latest to be confirmed as playing in the annual charity match when Liverpool Legends take on a Chelsea foundation side on March 22 at Anfield.

Eight previous legends matches at Anfield have raised more than £7.5m and have helped Liverpool Foundation increase the number of people they supported to 127,000 last season.

Funds from the next legends match will help play a key role in LFC Foundation’s new strategy, which aims to double fundraising efforts to reach the ambition of helping 500,000 people a season by 2030.

RED RIDDLE

It’s time for a bit of trivia in what we shall call the Red Riddle, hopefully a bit of fun to end this column each week.

Liverpool play Wolves on Sunday, so…

THIRTEEN players have featured for both clubs over the years. Can you name them all?

Answers in next week’s column and a quick disclaimer: this quiz format idea was stolen from my colleague Craig Hope and his excellent Newcastle Confidential weekly dispatch.