Darwin Nunez to Chelsea: Romano reveals truth behind crazy transfer rumour

Robin Bairner

• 23 Feb 2024 02:08 CST
• 3 min read

Fabrizio Romano has revealed the truth behind rumours that Chelsea chased Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez during the summer transfer window.

The claims emerged on Thursday that Nunez had been subject to interest from the Blues late in the window, despite having endured a somewhat testing first season in the Premier League.

Given the timing of the rumour, just ahead of the Carabao Cup final on Sunday that will put Liverpool against Chelsea, it might have been seen as a story designed to upset the Reds’ preparations, but Romano has revealed there is more to it than that.

“What I’ve heard on that is that Chelsea were just calling to understand the situation of Darwin Nunez at Liverpool in the final two weeks of August but there was not even a negotiation,” he confirmed via his YouTube channel.

“Liverpool considered Darwin untouchable last summer. It was not possible to proceed. There was no chance at all, not even a concrete negotiation.

“Let me be honest. In those days, Chelsea enquired over many strikers around Europe, not just Nunez. They were looking for a solution and they decided to go for Cole Palmer, which was a fantastic call by the club. He’s a different kind of player, obviously, compared to Darwin Nunez.”

Real Madrid’s concrete Darwin Nunez interest

Romano confirmed that Real Madrid did hold meaningful talks with Liverpool over a potential transfer for Nunez last summer as it became evident that Karim Benzema would depart, leaving them without a strong centre-forward option.

“I can tell you last summer that before completing the move for Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid considered a possible move,” Romano said. “This is a story from early June, when Real Madrid made some calls to understand the situation of Nunez.

“They tried to explore this move and it was discussed on the player and club’s side but then Jurgen Klopp and the Liverpool board decided to keep the player.”

Nunez’s poor grasp of the English language has often been cited by Klopp as one of the factors holding him back from expressing his true potential in the Premier League, yet this would not have been a problem in Spain.

Darwin has enjoyed a more productive campaign this time around, scoring 13 goals, although he has not scored against a club in the top half of the table since September.