The deal that took Darwin Nunez to Liverpool was slightly more costly up front compared to that of Erling Haaland’s switch to Manchester City, yet the differing wage packets agreed would point to the former having arranged the better agreement.
The Merseysiders’ insistence on agreeing comparatively lower wages, however, could prove to be something of a stumbling block in any potential pursuit of Jude Bellingham next summer should the Englishman desire a significant wage packet, as reported by David Lynch.
“Meanwhile, the fact that Liverpool have secured Nunez on a contract understood to be worth £140,000 a week serves as a particularly handy encapsulation of the club’s current transfer strategy,” the reporter wrote for The National News.
“Liverpool’s preference for striking high-fee, relatively low-wage deals was evident in the recent signings of Ibrahima Konate and Luis Diaz, both of whom played a key role in last season’s quadruple near-miss.
“It would also have underpinned one of the biggest deals of last summer had the Reds won their last battle with Manchester United for the signature of a coveted forward.”
The Reds are said to have prioritised a new midfielder in the summer of 2023 after failing to acquire Aurelien Tchouameni but could miss out on the highly-rated Borussia Dortmund midfielder should wages prove similarly prohibitive.
“As was the case with Nunez, the aim then will be to target a player around their early 20s with an impressive athletic profile and, while a big fee would not be an obstacle, excessive wages would,” Lynch continued. “The latter could well be a sticking point when it comes to the much-admired Jude Bellingham, given the wider interest in his signature, which is why there is some pessimism at Liverpool over their chances of landing him, and why others are being watched closely.”
Whilst there’s not a doubt in our minds here at the Empire of the Kop that Julian Ward and Co. would be more than capable of identifying a quality alternative to Bellingham should the worst come to pass, it would hurt somewhat to miss out on what appears to be a generational midfield talent.
Prior second-choice options have worked out wonderfully for us in the past, it has to be emphasised, so it wouldn’t necessarily be the end of the world should the teenager decide on a more personally profitable move.
Ultimately, of course, the chance to be tutored by one of the leading coaches in world football at this point in time in Jurgen Klopp could yet prove to be a decisive factor in any call the player makes next summer when Dortmund are expected to be more amenable to the prospect of him leaving the German top-flight.
EOTK INSIDER: Could Liverpool be set for further incomings? The solutions in the squad… and more!