After over a month of negotiations, Napoli have officially withdrawn from their pursuit of Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez.
The Serie A champions, long considered frontrunners for the Uruguayan’s signature, have now turned their attention to Udinese forward Lorenzo Lucca, with a deal for the Italian international already in place.
It marks a significant shift in the summer transfer market and leaves Núñez’s future increasingly uncertain, but with new clubs making contact experts still expect the striker to leave his summer.
Napoli had been engaged in talks with Liverpool for several weeks, exploring a possible cut-price move for Núñez. The 26-year-old, who joined the Reds from Benfica for an initial £64 million in 2022, had given the green light for negotiations to take place.
A move to Serie A appealed to him; however a significant gap in valuation ultimately derailed the move.
While Liverpool were holding out for a fee closer to £70 million, Napoli’s highest bid is understood to have been around £52 million — far short of Liverpool’s expectations. The Daily Mail’s Dominic King confirmed that Napoli have now formally ended their pursuit, deeming the asking price “too high.”
Instead, the Seria A champions have moved swiftly to secure Lorenzo Lucca. The 24-year-old is set to join on loan from Udinese with an obligation to buy, in a deal reportedly worth £30 million. Lucca, a tall and physical forward with growing potential, is expected to partner Romelu Lukaku in Antonio Conte’s new look attack.
With Napoli out of the picture and Liverpool making progress on alternative striking options, the most serious interest in Núñez now comes from Saudi Arabia.
Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano reports that clubs from the Saudi Pro League have made an “initial approach” for the striker, with Al-Hilal leading the race. The Saudi Pro League runners-up had already tried to sign Núñez in January, offering wages in excess of £550,000 per week, but the club reject to aid their fight for silverware at the end of the campaign.
David Ornstein of The Athletic reported this week that Al-Hilal remain keen and “are expected to advance” their interest shortly. With Neymar having departed the club in January and Osimhen out of reach, Núñez is seen as a more attainable high profile target and that move may now be his most realistic next step.
The number 9’s time at Liverpool has not been a failure but it has never fully clicked either. His effort, attitude, and physical qualities have never been in question, but the finishing inconsistencies, positional instability, and growing tactical mismatch under Slot have made it difficult for him to thrive as the door is slowly but firmly closing on his Anfield chapter.
If a Saudi move materialises, FSG will recoup most of their investment, and Núñez will get a fresh start potentially on different terms, in a league where expectations and pressure look vastly different.
