Liverpool reportedly had a swap offer involving Darwin Nunez for Chelsea flop Joao Felix rejected.
Portuguese forward Felix scored just four goals in 20 appearances during his loan to Stamford Bridge for the second half of last season, with the Blues seeing their £10million loan fee go down the drain as he returned to parent club Atletico Madrid.
It’s not worked out in the Spanish capital for the 23-year-old since his £114m move from Benfica in 2019 and he’s back out on loan again, this time to their La Liga rivals Barcelona after a Deadline Day deal was completed.
According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Anfield chiefs were interested in signing him last month before that move materialised – and they were willing to let Nunez leave in exchange.
Felix is said to have turned down the move, also rejecting fellow Premier League clubs Manchester United and Aston Villa as his heart was set on Barcelona. It was his childhood dream to play for them and he broke down in tears at his unveiling as a result.
The report is certainly an eyebrow-raising one given the Reds splashed £64.1m, which could rise to around £85m with add-ons, on Nunez just a year ago. His finishing has been questionable but he’s still scored 17 times in 46 outings.
He’s started just one of Liverpool’s opening four games of the season, though, with Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota being favoured. Jurgen Klopp addressed that after his two strikes against Newcastle which gave them a 2-1 win.
He said: “I understand the question, it’s clear he’s not happy. It’s early in the season, we need to find stability and results. He will play, there’s no doubt about that. We need everyone. We need to find a way of playing.
“This is a new team with new key players. It needs time. He scores two goals and can’t get the smile off his face. For the team, it was super important. You need these things together. You cannot force it. I enjoyed that in the last second.”
