DARWIN NUNEZ is a shock target for Barcelona in a summer of big changes at Camp Nou.
And that could see the Liverpool striker replace star Robert Lewandowski, who is set to become a major victim of a mass clean-up.
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Barca’s salary cap has been reduced to just over £174 million by LaLiga, meaning they will have to part with their biggest wages to proceed with a planned rebuild.
With wages set to skyrocket to £27m next season, Lewandowski is the biggest earner of all – and will almost certainly be sacrificed.
Nunez is among Liverpool’s highest paid, but receives around a quarter of the Polish striker’s money, putting him well within Barcelona’s reach.
With a host of others set to depart at the end of the season, Camp Nou bosses think they will be able to match the asking price – if Liverpool are prepared to do business.
The Uruguayan hitman is the Reds’ record purchase, having cost Benfica £85m two years ago – and with a contract running until 2028, they will be reluctant to let him go.
But Anfield’s top brass are aware they will hand new boss Arne Slot a decent summer kitty.
An attempt to bring Mo Salah to Saudi Arabia would provide that.
However, if there is no offer from the Middle East, Liverpool are more likely to listen to Barça.
Nunez is perfectly happy at Anfield and is not pushing for a change. But tellingly, South American sources insist the idea of playing for the Spanish giants appeals to him.
Barcelona tried to sign him from Almería three years ago and thought they had a deal done before Benfica signed him.
Nunez was a sensation in Portugal and has become a huge hit with fans since moving to Merseyside in 2021.
But despite scoring 23 goals this season, he has gone seven games without scoring – and no player in Europe’s top five leagues has wasted more big opportunities.
He racked up an unwanted list of assistants lost against Luton, Manchester United and Crystal Palace.
Nunez has been dubbed the Uruguayan Andy Carroll, the striker who scored just 11 goals in two years for Liverpool, by cruel critics – a year after Kop legend Jamie Carragher compared him to Alan Shearer because of the ferocious way he strikes the ball.
With everyone wearing a Reds shirt keen to show the new boss Slot they should be part of his plans – Tottenham’s home ground today is the last chance – Nunez is in a brighter spotlight than most.
While some in England question his resolve, 10,600 miles away in Artigas’ hometown, those who know him best have no doubt who will have the last laugh.
Nunez has won bigger battles, both physical and mental.
First homesick when he left San Miguel, the amateur club where he started working and moved 430 miles to join Penarol, the biggest club in Uruguay.
Being away from his parents Bibiano and Silvia was bad enough, but when his brother Junior – who was also at Penarol – resigned to look for work and support his family, he was suddenly alone.
Nunez was so heartbroken that he almost put it all away – and came even closer when a cruciate knee injury sidelined him for a year.
If it weren’t for his older brother and the support of his friends in San Miguel, he might have made it.
Once he was convinced to stay, Nunez swore that nothing would stop him.
Few know Nunez better than Daniel Suarez, the president of San Miguel and close friend who revealed those dark early days.
Suarez revealed: “Junior was playing for Penarol when Darwin arrived, but then he returned to Artigas because he was looking for a job.
“It was very difficult because his brother was a very strong presence for him.
“He was alone in Montevideo and it was a difficult time, missing his parents. Then more bad luck struck when he suffered a cruciate knee injury. That’s when the frustration really hit.
“He wanted to come home and retire from football at 16.
“Junior was instrumental in convincing him to react and even returned to Montevideo to help him adapt. And of course his parents visited regularly.
“Everyone at the San Miguel club also sent messages to boost Darwin’s morale.
“After he made the decision, he exploded as a player and after debuting at Penarol at 17, the rest is history.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
