‘Determined to stay…’ – Reliable reporter dismisses speculation over possible Liverpool exit | OneFootball

James Pearce has dismissed recent speculation regarding a possible high-profile exit from Liverpool this month.

Fabrizio Romano had reported last week of ‘genuine’ interest from the Saudi Pro League in Darwin Nunez, albeit that it hadn’t yet reached anything ‘concrete’ and that the 25-year-old remains an ‘important’ player for the Reds.

Jamie Carragher then claimed on Sky Sports that, despite the Uruguayan’s heroics off the bench at Brentford last weekend, he doesn’t expect him to still be at Anfield by next season.

Pearce: Liverpool have no plans to offload Darwin Nunez

In the latest Transfer DealSheet for The Athletic, Pearce poured cold water on any possibility of Nunez leaving Liverpool in January, stating that the club have no plans to sell him and that our number 9 wants to fight for a regular starting berth under Arne Slot.

The reporter wrote: “There was speculation about a possible move to the Saudi Pro League for Darwin Nunez, but Liverpool have not received any bids and they are not looking to offload him.

“The Uruguay attacker, who was Liverpool’s match-winner from the bench at Brentford on Saturday, is determined to stay and fight for more game time.”

(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Will Nunez earn more regular starts for Liverpool in 2025?

Even accounting for his dramatic intervention off the bench on Saturday, it’s been a frustrating season for Nunez on a personal level, who’d netted just four times in the current campaign before that quickfire brace.

He’s started only 33% of Liverpool’s Premier League games in 2024/25, with a mere two top-flight starts since the beginning of December (WhoScored), and he’s even seen a natural winger in Luis Diaz being selected ahead of him at centre-forward.

The hope for the Uruguayan – and indeed for everyone of a Reds persuasion – is that the two goals at Brentford will trigger a prolonged hot streak of scoring form, rather than merely being a flash in the pan.

Nunez hadn’t actually scored off the bench all season until last Saturday, which conflicts with any narrative around him being best utilised as an impact substitute, but whether that’ll persuade Slot to start him more regularly remains to be seen.

The latest injury blow to Diogo Jota should increase the 25-year-old’s chances of playing from the outset in Liverpool’s upcoming fixtures, and if those opportunities come, the onus is on him to make the most of it.

The Anfield hierarchy would be wise to retain our number 9 for the foreseeable future at least, in the hope that 2025 will be the year that he silences his critics once and for all.