Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has reportedly asked the club for a surprise signing up front ahead of this summer.
The Gunners boss is said to be keen on the qualities of Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez, though he supposedly wouldn’t be brought in with the aim of being a regular starter.
That’s according to a report from Fichajes, which also states that Nunez looks set to be available this summer after a difficult season at Anfield.
This is similar to what has previously been reported by Fabrizio Romano, who posted on X last month about the Uruguay international’s future.
He said at the time that it looked like Nunez had a strong possibility of leaving Liverpool at the end of this season…
??? Darwin Nunez’s full focus until July remains on Liverpool after Al Nassr deal collapsed in January… but then he has strong chances to leave the club.
Nunez’s exit in the summer is a concrete possibility, already discussed in the recent months. pic.twitter.com/01cwZljKgM
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 28, 2025
Darwin Nunez transfer is surely not what Arsenal need
It remains to be seen if this story will develop into anything more concrete, but it seems unlikely that this deal will happen for a variety of reasons.
Firstly, Liverpool probably won’t want to let Nunez go to a rival, even if they are keen to offload the former Benfica man after his inconsistent performances.
There’s always a risk, however, that Arteta could revive Nunez’s career, similarly to how Kai Havertz has improved since leaving Chelsea for Arsenal.
On top of that, though, it surely doesn’t make much sense for Nunez himself to leave LFC if he’s only going to also have to sit on the bench at Arsenal.
The 25-year-old hasn’t been at his best at Liverpool, but he’ll surely feel he’s good enough to go somewhere else and play more often.
Arsenal, however, don’t seem willing to give him that kind of role, if Fichajes’ report is to be believed, so this deal just doesn’t seem like it makes sense for any party involved.
Arteta might like Nunez as a player, but he surely needs to be aiming higher this summer to bring in someone like Alexander Isak, Victor Osimhen or Benjamin Sesko to take his team up a level.
Don’t sign a striker for big money. Sign 2 affordable attackers who can play across the front line for squad depth. Avoid Isak because of his price and wages. He is a regular injury risk whose absence would paralyze us as that of Kai Havertz.
2 strikers that can play across the front line make rotation easier to prevent injury.