Arne Slot is going to win the Premier League title with Liverpool at the first time of asking, but when his debut campaign comes to an end, the Dutchman will know exactly what his roster needs next. A new number nine feels like one obvious area to target.
With that in mind, Argentine forward Julian Alvarez has been put forward as a possible option this week. And according to GiveMeSport, Atletico Madrid is interested in signing Darwin Nunez in the summer to bolster its forward line. Alongside clubs in Saudi Arabia, Diego Simeone's side could be an option for the Uruguayan.
It doesn't that much thinking for one idea to emerge: a transfer swap. And given the amount of money that Atletico would demand for Alvarez, bringing that sum down by offloading someone who has struggled for form could make sense.
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Earlier this week, Alvarez's agent, Fernando Hidalgo, claimed that Liverpool was in for his client last summer. However, a deal did not prove possible with some suggestions that Manchester City wanted Luis Diaz in exchange.
"I confirm that Liverpool were interested in Julian last season," Hidalgo told winwin.com. "As for the future, it’s not the right time to talk about it, because Julian is participating in important tournaments and is fully focused on them."
Since then, Atletico Madrid sporting director Carlos Busero has insisted that the La Liga club will not cash in on Alvarez when the season comes to a close. The striker was signed for a fee of around $105 million (£81 million/€96 million) last summer.
With doubts over Nunez's long term future at Anfield and Diogo Jota having struggled lately, Liverpool signing a number nine would be no huge surprise. Alexander Isak has been put forward as another very expensive and ambitious target.
Liverpool.com says: Upgrading in most areas of the Reds' starting XI would be tricky, but at number nine, it doesn't feel that way. It has to be a priority when the next window opens, though signing Alvarez would be very tough. The South American is brilliant but already cost more than $100M last summer; it would take substantially more to convince Atletico to reluctantly part ways with him.
As good as he would be at Anfield, it doesn't feel that realistic, not least with other positions (like left-back and midfield) that probably need to be looked at as well, even before the big three contracts are discussed.
