Darwin Nunez to Chelsea: How Klopp prevented Pochettino transfer MISERY

Tom Weber

Updated: 26 Apr 2024 13:03 BST
4 min read

Darwin Nunez rumoured to be of transfer interest to Chelsea — © IMAGO

Jurgen Klopp blocked Darwin Nunez's move to Chelsea last summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.

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The Uruguayan striker is once again the subject of intense criticism. Scoreless in four games, the data suggest that Nunez is the worst finisher in Europe and Liverpool's Premier League hopes are fading due to their lack of attacking output.

While it would be unfair to pin all the blame on the 24-year-old - Luis Diaz and even club legend Mohamed Salah haven't covered themselves in glory either - the fact of the matter is that Liverpool fans are right to demand more from their star striker. After all, the club shelled out a massive amount of money on the former Benfica man, with the deal potentially rising to €100 million.

Since arriving in 2022, Nunez has notched 33 goals and 17 assists, but it is becoming increasingly clear that Liverpool will need to seriously consider replacing him unless he magically develops more composure in front of the net. Had things panned out slightly differently last summer, Nunez may not have been Liverpool's problem this season but Chelsea's.

Klopp blocked exit

Fabrizio Romano previously revealed that Chelsea attempted to sign Nunez from Liverpool last summer in their bid to add a striker. Nothing ultimately came of it and the Blues signed Nicolas Jackson instead. The Senegal international has been just as hit-and-miss as Nunez thus far.

Now, Romano has provided some more information on Chelsea's pursuit, revealing that it was Jurgen Klopp who personally insisted on keeping Nunez. The German boss had also been the driving factor behind his signing in 2022; Liverpool's recruitment had actually wanted to sign Chelsea's Christopher Nkunku from then-club RB Leipzig.

After stating that there are no new developments regarding a potential transfer of Nunez, Romano revealed: "Chelsea, at the end of the last summer transfer window, in the final weeks, when they were looking for a striker, they really tried to bring in Darwin Nunez."

"They really had conversations with Liverpool to make it happen. From Liverpool, it was a clear 'no,' especially from Jurgen Klopp. What I heard is that Jurgen Klopp said 'no' to that move and really wanted to keep Darwin Nunez at the club as a crucial player for the present and future of Liverpool. But Chelsea were super keen on Darwin Nunez."