Liverpool believed Darwin Nunez was better value for money than Haaland

FT Desk

• Updated: 9 Nov 2022 19:44 GMT
• 2 min read

Liverpool decided to sign Darwin Nunez this past summer instead of Erling Haaland because they felt that he represented better value for money than the Manchester City superstar.

The Reds were in the market for a new number nine at the turn of 2022 and already began their preparations for a striker at the start of the calendar year.

Haaland was initially their number one target and Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group wanted to trigger the Norwegian’s €60 million release clause he had in his Borussia Dortmund contract.

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However, FSG then pulled out of the deal when they learned what the total cost of Haaland would be when including wages, signing-on fees and bonuses to his then-agent Mino Raiola.

Upon hearing it would cost around €340m, FSG put a stop to the deal.

Liverpool signed Nunez instead

Instead, Liverpool went all-in for Benfica hitman Darwin Nunez, who was enjoying a breakout season for the Portuguese team.

Liverpool were happy to pay a transfer fee of €100m for Nunez, which came in at €40m more than Haaland’s fee.

Nunez thus became one of the most expensive players in football history – by transfer fee – while Haaland didn’t even make the top 50.

However, Liverpool believed Uruguayan striker Nunez was better value for money because his salary and bonuses were much lower than Haaland’s.

On the pitch, there is no doubt who the winner has been in this deal so far as Haaland has gone on to break record after record in the early part of the season, already scoring 23 goals in 17 games. Nunez, meanwhile, has had an inconsistent start at Anfield, although he has still managed seven goals in 15 games.