A European report reveals why Slot keeps overlooking Núñez – and it’s not because of his performance.

If Darwin Núñez ends up leaving Liverpool this summer, there’s a real chance he’ll do so just one game shy of hitting a notable milestone at Anfield.

The Uruguayan forward joined from Benfica in 2022 for an initial £64 million, with up to £21 million in performance-based add-ons (per BBC Sport), some of which have already been activated.

Speculation is mounting that this could be his final season at the club, with respected journalists like David Ornstein and Fabrizio Romano suggesting the 25-year-old might be heading for the exit.

Núñez close to triggering costly appearance clause
Since January, Núñez has only made one Premier League start, and a report from Portugal sheds light on a possible reason. According to A Bola (via Sport Witness), Liverpool have already paid Benfica €10m (£8.6m) in bonuses tied to the number of league and Champions League starts he’s made.

Another €5m (£4.3m) is due if Núñez makes his 50th Premier League start — and he’s currently stuck on 49.

Núñez’s situation not purely performance-based
This season has been tough for him in front of goal, with just seven goals in 1,920 minutes — a drop compared to his 18 goals in 3,026 minutes last term. However, his omission from the starting lineup might not be entirely performance-related.

With Liverpool’s attacking options fully fit and a summer departure looking more likely, it’s possible that Núñez has already made his final Premier League start for the club. He didn’t feature off the bench against Leicester and missed the West Ham match through illness, but he’s still appeared in 42 games overall this season — so it’s not a total freeze-out by Arne Slot, certainly not to the same extent Federico Chiesa has experienced in Italy.

While saving £4m might not seem massive for a club like Liverpool, if financial clauses are the main reason behind his limited minutes, Núñez could feel hard done by.

If the club truly intended to keep him beyond this season, they’d likely have allowed him to hit that 50-start mark. As it stands, the evidence points to him not being part of their long-term plans and a transfer this summer appears increasingly likely.