Darwin Nunez showed Liverpool manager Arne Slot that he still has plenty left to offer by scoring a hat-trick in a secret pre-season friendly against Stoke City on Sunday. Liverpool welcomed the Championship side to the AXA Training Centre as they continued the preparations for their Premier League title defence.
Multiple reports shared that the Reds were leading Stoke 4-0 at half-time, courtesy of a goal from 16-year-old attacker Rio Ngumoha and Nunez’s hat-trick. Florian Wirtz also featured before the break as he settles into life on Merseyside after joining in a £116million deal from Bayer Leverkusen.
The starting line-up also included captain Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Dominik Szoboszlai. Federico Chiesa scored in the second half as the match finished 5-0.
Slot has splashed around £170m on reinforcements this summer, also recruiting goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who started, and right-back Jeremie Frimpong and left-back Milos Kerkez, both substitutes.
The Dutchman is on the brink of sealing his latest high-profile addition, which will see the expenditure after his successful maiden season surpass the £250m mark.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have reached an agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt for the signing of France Under-21 striker Hugo Ekitike.
The 23-year-old is set to land at Anfield in a deal worth up to £82m and will sign a six-year contract.
Ekitike’s transfer fee is narrowly short of the club-record £85m package that Liverpool agreed with Benfica for Nunez in 2022.
However, the 26-year-old has not come close to justifying that price tag, earning a reputation for blunders in front of goal and other erratic decisions.
Since arriving on Merseyside, Nunez has scored 40 goals in 143 appearances and did often provide Jurgen Klopp with value from the bench in his first two seasons.
But the Uruguay international failed to convince Slot last term, scoring just seven goals in 47 appearances and losing the faith of many Liverpool supporters.
He has enjoyed a fruitful start to pre-season, finding the net in Liverpool’s opening 3-1 victory against Preston North End on July 13.
His hat-trick against Stoke is another indicator that he is on a mission to prove himself, but a permanent exit still seems the likely outcome.
Nunez has been linked with clubs in Saudi Arabia, Spain and Italy, and Ekitike’s arrival should accelerate any plans to cash in.
For now, the Liverpool No. 9 will remain focused on making an impact as the pre-season schedule continues against AC Milan on Saturday.