As supporters wait for definitive news on the signing of Darwin Nunez, it's time for your Liverpool FC morning digest on Tuesday, June 14.
Darwin Nunez medical latest
Darwin Nunez will complete his medical on Tuesday as he prepares to become Liverpool's first major signing of the summer.
The Reds have already agreed a deal with Benfica for the 22-year-old striker, paying a set fee of £64.1million (€75m) with a possible £12.8m (€15m) in appearance-related add-ons and further £8.5m (€10m) depending on team success. The player was in England on Monday to undergo the first part of his medical, with the main chunk of the procedure taking place on Tuesday.
READ MORE: Simon Jordan sends blunt 'endgame' message to Liverpool transfer critics after Darwin Nunez deal
READ MORE: Sadio Mane exit cannot hide the truth about Darwin Nunez and Liverpool
Should no problems emerge, Nunez will then be confirmed as a Liverpool player having already agreed personal terms on a six-year contract. He will officially begin his Anfield career when the transfer window opens for overseas signings on July 1.
While the initial fee for Nunez is lower than the club record £75m spent to take Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in January 2018, the likelihood is the forward will trigger sufficient add-ons to become the most expensive signing in Liverpool's history.
Read the full story HERE.
Jurgen Klopp is about to unleash Robert Lewandowski plan at Liverpool after £85m change
If there's one thing for which Jurgen Klopp's reign as Liverpool boss will ultimately be remembered, it's goals. Lots and lots and lots of goals. A total of 790 have been netted by the Reds since the German assumed control in October 2015, a club record 147 in the recently-completed season alone.
But a deeper dive into the figures reveals an astonishing fact that will prompt pause for thought among Liverpool supporters as they prepare to welcome imminent new signing Darwin Nunez from Benfica. Less than 10% of those goals have been scored by a player who could be termed a traditional number nine. Divock Origi, while spending some time on the flank, would be considered thus, notching 41 of the 76 managed by a good old-fashioned forward under Klopp.
Of course, with Liverpool having racked up astonishing goal tallies season after season - they also managed three-figure returns in 2019/20 and 2017/18 - there has been little concern over the ability to ruffle the onion bag, the versatility of tactics and the talent of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, later followed by Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz, giving the Reds one of the most feared strikeforces on the planet.
The signing of Nunez, though, represents a subtle shift in approach. Sure, the 22-year-old can operate on the left and featured eight times this season as a second striker - scoring twice against Barcelona from the position - but it's as the focal point of the attack he has been employed most consistently throughout his career.
A step into the unknown for the Reds boss? Perhaps. But only in terms of his Anfield reign. After all, he knows how to get the best from an out-and-out striker. Just ask Robert Lewandowski, who spent four years working under Klopp at Borussia Dortmund.
"He released that striker's instinct in me,” the Poland international once said. “I didn’t know that I still had so much potential inside of me. He saw something in me that I couldn’t see. He taught me so much. When I arrived at Dortmund, I wanted to do everything quickly: strong pass, one touch only. Jurgen showed me to calm down – to take two touches if necessary. It was totally against my nature, but soon I was scoring more goals.
“When I had that down, he challenged me to speed it up again. One touch, bang, goal. He slowed me down to speed me up. It sounds simple, but it was genius, really.”
Read the full story HERE.
