Darwin Núñez poses with Barcelona ace amid transfer speculation after Liverpool’s social media purge

Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez faces a difficult end to the season as the Jürgen Klopp era draws to a close. Núñez was among the substitutes for his side’s last two games, having scored just once in the Premier League in two months.

This was a fortunate effort in the win over Sheffield United, with the Uruguayan’s finishing leaving much to be desired. His last start came in the Merseyside derby defeat to Everton when he fired a shot straight at Jordan Pickford from close range.

Núñez has been unfairly targeted on social media in recent weeks and has responded by deleting all but one of his Liverpool-related social media posts. It also blocked a number of Reds fan accounts on social media.

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The 24-year-old was supported by compatriot and former Liverpool striker Luis Suárez after Núñez broke his self-imposed silence on social media to congratulate him on scoring his 500th goal lea of ​​the club.

And now Barcelona and Uruguay defender Ronald Araujo has also reached out, posting a picture alongside the Reds forward. He shared the image on his Instagram page with the caption “Mi hermano”, which translates to “my brother”. Núñez then shared the post on his own Instagram story, amid reports that he is on Barca’s radar this summer.

Earlier this week, SPORT claimed that Núñez could be targeted to replace Robert Lewandowski this summer. It is unclear whether the La Liga giants could afford it, however, given his well-known financial problems.

Suárez actually revealed in 2021 that he urged Barca to sign Núñez, just to see him join Benfica. “When he was at Almeria, I said it at Barca,” Suárez said in a Twitch stream with Gerard Romero (via SportBible ).

“They asked me and I said ‘watch out for this guy, he’s very interesting’, but they said no, he’s in Almeria, he’s very young. But instead of paying 80, 90 or 100 million now, they would have paid 15 or 20.”

It was a decent first half of the season for the Liverpool man, who still found the net 18 times and provided a further 13 assists. But after the defeat to Everton, former Reds defender Jamie Carragher suggested Klopp’s replacement could be looking at a more prolific marksman.

He told Sky Sports: “Two years from now, when Liverpool are going for the title or in big games, you need your man to score at Old Trafford or Goodison Park. This is the end of the business. He is off.

“After two years there will be no improvement in him. It is what it is. He can cause problems but he is erratic in terms of finishing – it is not enough to win you trophies so a big decision has to be made for him. “

Liverpool.com says: Araujo’s post may have simply been one of support for an international teammate, but it comes at a time when there is speculation that The future of Núñez. The Reds striker has struggled in recent months but has shown at times this season how dangerous he can be. If he wants to look for a move, any club will have to pay big and probably match the record fee that Liverpool achieved in 2022, and that would certainly rule out Barca.