Harvey Elliott reacts to Darwin Nunez’s message after Liverpool breakthrough
Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott both got on the scoresheet in what could be their last Liverpool appearances at Anfield.
Arne Slot‘s massive summer overhaul is well underway at Anfield with close to £300million spent on new signings already, including up to £116.5m on Florian Wirtz in a club-record deal with Bayer Leverkusen.
Alexander Isak could be the subject of another record-breaking move to Anfield as Liverpool line up a £150m bid for the Newcastle United frontman, but Slot must make room in his squad in order to do so.
Luis Diaz’s £65m transfer to Bayern Munich was confirmed on 30 July in the first of three planned moves to facilitate that record bid for Isak, but Liverpool’s exit-linked duo are showing no signs of slowing down.
Nunez nets ‘last Liverpool goal’ v Athletic Bilbao
Liverpool plan to raise up to £130m before submitting their next bid for Isak this summer after seeing an initial offer of £110m rejected by Newcastle, and Diaz’s £65m departure has helped to raise those funds.
Elliott and Nunez are two players who Liverpool plan to sell alongside Diaz this summer with that fee of at least £130m for Isak in mind, but the duo have remained front and centre of Slot’s plans in pre-season.
In the first of two back-to-back friendlies against Athletic Bilbao on Monday, Nunez and Elliott both got on the scoresheet for Liverpool at Anfield to score the second and fourth goals respectively in a 4-1 win.
Nunez’s strike came in the fifth minute after Rio Ngumoha had put Liverpool 1-0 up within little over 90 seconds, and he posted on Instagram (5 August) with the message of a red ‘love heart’ emoji for fans.
Elliott’s 58th-minute strike put the Reds 4-0 ahead as he played a full 90 minutes to underline his long-term credentials to Slot, and he also commented on Nunez’s post with a pair of ‘love heart’ emojis.
Isak transfer ‘imminent’ after Nunez breakthrough at Liverpool
Football Insider Verdict
Although Liverpool told Newcastle they wouldn’t bid again for Isak this summer, raising further funds via the sale of Nunez to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal could lead Slot’s transfer team to change their minds.
Al-Hilal’s interest in Nunez is long-standing and would provide an Anfield exit route for the Uruguayan, potentially leaving Liverpool’s number nine vacant for Isak to arrive and complete their all-star frontline.
Liverpool’s number 19 has also been marked for the departure lounge, and despite West Ham being in talks to sign Elliott this summer, the 23-year-old may not need to be used as a makeweight in the Isak deal after all.