There is concrete interest from Saudi for Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez and more offers could arrive this summer after Al-Nassr's failed January pursuit of him, TEAMtalk understands.
Reports claimed last month that Liverpool rejected a £70m bid from Al-Hilal, but a deal was not as formal or advanced as has been suggested.
The reported interest from Al-Hilal wasn't genuine and Al-Nassr did speak to Liverpool. The PIF-backed club submitted a verbal offer of around £58m, which the Reds quickly rejected.
Saudi dealmakers are not, contrary to some suggestions, throwing around crazy money and are prepared to walk away from deals whey they don't see market value.
There are exceptions – Moussa Diaby (£50m) and Jhon Duran (£65m) are two examples – but their price tags weren't too far over their market valuation.
Saudi have no intention to overpay for Nunez. He remains of interest, but he is less likely to join Al-Nassr now that they've brought in Duran.
If Cristiano Ronaldo extends his contract with Al-Nassr, which is a realistic possibility, Al-Nassr will be primarily focused on a winger. Karou Mitoma and Mohammed Kudas are two names on their radar, and Mitoma was subjected of a €90m rejected bid this winter. Mitoma was not open to the move mid-season.
Liverpool will still only let him Nunez go if they bring in a replacement, with Brighton's Joao Pedro one name on their radar.
Darwin Nunez open to Liverpool exit
The indication from sources is that Nunez is open to a move to Saudi, albeit more so at the end of this season than in January due to Liverpool challenging on multiple fronts for silverware.
The likes of Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz and Mo Salah are currently ahead of Nunez in the pecking order, so a move away from Anfield is possible this summer.
We will have to wait and see whether Saudi return given most of the big-spending clubs have a lead striker now, but sources suggest that Liverpool will be more willing to sanction to a sale this summer than they were in January
Liverpool will only let Nunez go if they bring in a replacement, however.
Liverpool admire Brighton's Joao Pedro
Liverpool are yet to advance on any new striker, although that may change between now and summer with a new No.9 on the cards.
Links with Newcastle's Alexander Isak are nothing more than admiration that at this stage, and the Reds, like Arsenal, know it will be near-impossible to sign him, especially if the Magpies qualify for the Champions League.
Another player Liverpool are big admirers of is Brighton forward Joao Pedro and he could be a potential Nunez replacement they look at.
Brighton are notoriously tough to negotiate with when it comes to transfers. Whether Pedro is gettable depends on where the Seagulls finish, what kind of European football they get and what they're finances look like – traditionally they have been very healthy, and could allow them to have a big summer.
Liverpool are biding their time for now and focusing on tying down Mo Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk down to contract extensions, whose deals all expire this summer.
If the Reds retain Salah, they will be under less pressure to move for a prolific striker now, simply because of the amount of goals he scores, even if he isn't a centre-forward.
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