Darwin Núñez has always been a divisive figure since he arrived at Liverpool. There are those who say that he is just about to explode, and those who argue that this version of the Uruguayan is here to stay.

Within all of that, there is even more nuance. Is it really that bad if a striker gets 18 goals and 13 assists in a season, which is what the 24-year-old has right now? And what if he does kick on next year, with Núñez still young enough to make that seem realistic?

For every moment of quality that he produces in the final third, though, there is a shot straight at the goalkeeper (see Jordan Pickford against Everton recently for the perfect example) or an unnecessary offside. For every glorious chip, there is a wrong decision. Frustration with the former Benfica ace is understandable.

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After deleting the Liverpool images from his Instagram page, Núñez has only increased the speculation around his long-term future even further. And with the Spanish outlet Sport reporting that Barcelona is considering him as a replacement for Robert Lewandowski this summer, there is even more intrigue to the tale.

Cody Gakpo has not been consistent for Liverpool since arriving from PSV but he was in excellent form against Tottenham. Núñez, in contrast, made little difference when he came on. His post-match social media activity suggests all is not right and his form has been below-par for a while; he only has two goals in his last 10 Premier League games.

But, as ever, it is impossible not to keep going around in circles with the South American. As well as the conundrum over whether this is simply his level or whether he can click up a gear, there are also two more questions that need answering.

It is impossible to know whether or not he is going to explode into life and have a 30-plus goal season but it is certainly feasible given the number of chances he creates for himself. If not, though, and if he was going to stay exactly the same player as he is now, would you completely rule out a sale?

The answer to that question will be telling. If Liverpool would keep him as a rotation option who is always going to be inconsistent, then the problem is solved. If you are only keeping him and hoping that he clicks, there is no guarantee of that happening.

Let's imagine for a second, however, that Liverpool did decide that Núñez was not ruthless enough to spearhead a title challenge (even though, it must be said, he isn't the only one to have missed chances in recent weeks). Who would buy him? Barcelona might well want him, but it seems unlikely that the Catalan side would be able to afford a substantial enough transfer fee to place a tempting offer on the table. Few other teams around Europe appear likely destinations.

Jamie Carragher said after the Merseyside derby that after two full seasons of Núñez, Liverpool knows what it has on its hands — an inconsistent forward who will offer as much frustration as brilliance. It is for that reason that supposed Barcelona interest cannot be completely discounted and if there is serious interest, then the Núñez conundrum will only grow.

This version of the player is not what the Reds thought they were getting, but the solution lies in whether Liverpool truly believes he will kick on and reach another level. Two years after arriving for a fee that could reach $108m (£86m/€100m), it speaks volumes that we don't yet know the answer.