Darwin Núñez 'likes' Luis Suárez post amid Barcelona transfer 'interest' and social media purge
Liverpool could have a decision to make on Darwin Núñez in the summer. The club's record signing continues to be something of an enigma; he boasts strong goal contribution numbers across all competitions this season, but has been prone to long droughts across his time at Anfield, and the long-promised reversion to the mean when it comes to his finishing is yet to materialize.
There were hopes at Liverpool that he would follow the path of Luis Suárez, exploding into life in front of goal following a bedding-in season. To be fair, Núñez still has six months before he reaches the point where his compatriot truly became unplayable, but right now the scales are still weighted too much towards potential rather than tangible reward.
And now there's a suggestion that he could take after Suárez in an altogether different way. Núñez has been tentatively linked with a transfer to Barcelona.
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It seems like an unlikely move, all things considered. Liverpool might be at the point where it would have to consider any legitimate interest, but would not let its expensive forward leave on the cheap, with his potential still so clear. Barcelona has generally avoided truly marquee additions in recent times.
Moreover, the link is of questionable provenance. It came from Catalan newspaper Sport, but that in turn cited unspecified reports in England. Yet it's the story in Spain that has attracted widespread attention in the UK, creating something of a closed cycle.
However, Núñez has certainly fueled speculation with some unusual social media activity. Eagle-eyed fans spotted recently that he has seemingly deleted almost all content relating to Liverpool from his Instagram page.
Yet the striker apparently remains active on social media. In fact, he recently liked a post on X (formerly Twitter) from Suárez.
Things are going rather better on the pitch for the former Liverpool man. Suárez scored a hat-trick for Inter Miami on Sunday; he posted a picture holding the match ball with Lionel Messi, captioned 'three points, three assists, three goals'.
Messi in fact recorded five assists, breaking an MLS record in the process. The duo are enjoying a spectacular Indian summer in the USA, rolling back the years to their former Barcelona days.
Núñez clearly follows his countryman closely, with multiple Suárez posts among his recent likes. It's also worth noting that there are various Liverpool posts, including one from May 3.
Liverpool.com says: We just have to hope that Núñez hasn't been driven to delete various posts by abuse on social media. One of the most supported players in the stadium itself, not everyone online seems to understand the concept of 'you'll never walk alone', and there's little doubt that various bile will have made its way back to the striker.
Even so, the unexplained social media purge is a little alarming, especially amid the Barcelona transfer links. That's not the way Liverpool fans wanted him to follow in Suárez's footsteps, with plenty of hopes that the 24-year-old could still become an Anfield hero.