Arsenal and Man Utd told they should have ‘taken a chance’ on £46m Liverpool star | Football

Arsenal and Manchester United have been told they missed a trick by not considering a move for Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez this summer.

Signing a striker has been a priority for a host of Premier League clubs this summer, including Arsenal and United.

After injuries forced Arsenal to deploy Mikel Merino as a makeshift striker last season, the Gunners were keen to bring in a natural striker, eventually settling on Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres.

Arsenal had also given heavy consideration to signing Benjamin Sesko, but the RB Leipzig striker now looks poised to join United after spurning a similar offer from Newcastle United.

However, former Premier League striker Dean Saunders reckons both clubs should have looked closer to home and namechecked Nunez as a player who they both should have tried to sign.

The Uruguayan looks set to leave Liverpool this summer to join Al-Hilal for an initial £46m fee after the Reds brought in Hugo Ekitike earlier in the window.

But Saunders believes the 26-year-old could well have been worth a gamble for other clubs despite finishing last season with just five league goals.

‘Nunez, he’s up for grabs. Would you rather not have Nunez than Sesko and Gyokeres?’ Saunders told talkSPORT.

‘They paid a lot of money for them, and I thought, ‘he’s up for grabs.’ I would take a chance on him.

Saunders added: ‘He’s got every finish in his locker, both feet, headers, he’s gone round the keeper, he’s slotted the keeper, he’s chipped the keeper, he’s scored from distance.

‘We’ve seen him do every finish, but somehow he manages to conjure up a miss – I don’t know how many times he hit the post and the crossbar last season.

‘There’s definitely a player in there, you look at him and think, ‘what a handful he is to play against.’

‘He scored a lot of goals for Benfica in his second season and a couple of seasons ago he got 20-odd for Liverpool.

‘I wouldn’t be surprised if Nunez goes somewhere else and scores 20 goals next season.’

Nunez’s departure to Saudi Arabia could well clear the way for Liverpool to renew their interest in Alexander Isak, who has indicated he wants to leave Newcastle this summer.

The Reds saw an initial offer of £110m swiftly rejected by Newcastle, who may demand as much as £150m for the Swedish international.

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