Arne Slot has dismissed suggestions that Darwin Nunez’s recent omission from the team is linked to clauses in the deal Liverpool struck with Benfica.
The Uruguay international striker, who is expected to leave the club this summer, has endured a difficult season with just seven goals in 42 appearances and hasn’t started a game since the 3-1 win over Southampton on March 8.
Reports in Portugal this week claimed that Benfica will receive a payment of €5 million (£4.3m, $5.7m) when the 25-year-old reaches 60 starts for Liverpool in the Premier League and Champions League combined — he’s currently on 59.
Slot insists he doesn’t know if such a clause exists in the deal agreed in the summer of 2022 when Liverpool paid Benfica £65m ($86.4m) with a further £20m ($26.5m) to potentially follow in performance-related add-ons.
However, the Dutch head coach is adamant that he hasn’t been asked to leave out Nunez, who was the subject of interest from the Saudi Pro League in January, and he will continue to select his line-ups on merit alone.
“Do you always believe what journalists say? Not always? Me neither,” Slot said. “Sometimes you should, but sometimes it’s better not to believe everything that is written about players.
“This is completely new to me, and I’ve said many times that I’m working at a club here where it’s really nice to work. Mainly sporting directors are judged by the players they bring in, for me it’s very important to have a great working environment and I have that with Richard (Hughes).
“The last thing he would do, as I expect working with him for 10 months, is tell me: ‘If you play him it would cost us this much.’ That he would never do. I don’t even know if it’s true, yes or no, because we never talk about that. He never interferes with a lineup.”
Nunez hasn’t started a game since the 3-1 win over Southampton on March 8. (Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Liverpool will be confirmed as Premier League champions on Sunday if they avoid defeat against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield.
The occasion will be laced with emotion as supporters weren’t allowed inside the stadium due to the pandemic when the club last won the title in 2020.
“Everybody is looking forward to Sunday but we know there is still a job to be done,” Slot added. “It’s a big responsibility because we are aware of the fact that the last time this club won the league, it was COVID time.
“We will try to prepare the team the same way we have the whole season and hopefully the players can bring the energy, the same mentality towards the game as they’ve brought throughout the whole season.“
Joe Gomez is the only absentee as he continues his recovery from surgery on his hamstring in February, but Slot is hopeful he will play again before the end of the campaign.
“If his recovery goes well then Joe would be able to maybe in the last game or two of the season but he is still not training with us yet,” he said.
“He’s coming closer and closer to training with the team. But he has been out for a long time.”
(Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)