Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp chose to sign striker Darwin Nunez ahead of Alexander Isak in the summer of 2022 – according to the Reds’ former director of research Ian Graham.
Liverpool spent £64m on Benfica’s Nunez – a fee which could rise to £85m – while Newcastle spent a similar amount to sign Isak from Real Sociedad in the same transfer window.
Nunez has scored 25 Premier League goals for the Reds and looks set to leave Anfield this summer – while Isak has 54 in 86 Premier League games for the Magpies.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Graham said Klopp preferred the Uruguay striker.
He said: “Both players, if you look at top young centre-forwards in Europe, they would be number one and two — or two and three but [Erling] Haaland was going to [Manchester] City and out of our price range.
‘Jurgen preferred Nunez. It would be very churlish of me to say, “It’s terrible that Jurgen had his choice”, when in the past Jürgen had been persuaded by me and my colleagues of a different choice.”
Darwin Nunez 🤯#EFL | #CarabaoCup | #LFC pic.twitter.com/i1dj40vIEC
— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) November 2, 2023
Graham said Klopp had been persuaded in the past to sign Mo Salah – a decision which proved to be a masterstroke.
Nunez has been strongly linked with a move to Serie A champions Napoli this summer. He only started eight league games last season and scored five times in the Premier League as Arne Slot’s team won the title.
Isak continues to be linked with Europe’s biggest clubs – including Liverpool and Arsenal – but will have Champions League football this season with Eddie Howe’s side.
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