Liverpool turned down Chelsea approach for enigma who's just lost his biggest supporter

When Liverpool signed Darwin Nunez from Benfica in the summer of 2022, it was their belief they had beaten at least one major domestic rival to his signature, said to be Manchester United.

While United were also in for the Uruguay international at the same time, the Reds were made to forcibly nudge ahead of Atletico Madrid once it became clear Sadio Mane would be leaving and that Nunez had been decided as the best man to replace the then Bayern Munich-bound attacker.

The now 24-year-old first landed on Liverpool's radar in the spring of that year with their manager Jurgen Klopp said to have "fallen in love" with the powerful striker during analysis meetings ahead of a Champions League quarter-final tie with Benfica.

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During the tie itself, Nunez wasted little time proving Klopp's points, pouncing on a mistake at the back before clinically finishing past Alisson Becker in a game the Reds won 3-1 in Lisbon.

It was in the return leg at Anfield where Nunez really started to announce himself to the Liverpool fanbase, however. First came the delicate dink over Alisson that was ruled for offside before a smart finish around the goalkeeper made it 3-3 on the night. In what was an end-to-end match, he also forced his future team-mate into a superb save with a stunning volley as Benfica pushed all the way for a semi-final spot.

in the fifth minute of stoppage time, and for a third time in the game, Nunez slid another past Alisson before the flag was again raised. And, while the marginal decisions were ultimately correct, his performance suggested that he