Liverpool are riding the crest of a wave this season, but they will be swimming against the current without carefully-placed investment in the summer.
It’s a tired plot point at this stage, but contractual uncertainties remain the elephant in Anfield’s dressing room – and it’s a big beast at that.
But there’s also a desperate need for goals. Mohamed Salah is an inimitable striker, but Diogo Jota hasn’t scored in nine matches, while Luis Diaz has just one bundled-in goal so far in 2025. Federico Chiesa has one goal to his name since signing from Juventus last summer.
Darwin Nunez? Seven goals in 2024/25 – one from his past 12 across all competitions – and a total lack of authority in the final third. It’s no wonder FSG are preparing to cash in on the 25-year-old this summer.
Liverpool need a new elite-level centre-forward, one fit to join the long list of superstars at number nine over the years on Merseyside.
Liverpool's best modern strikers
While Nunez might be Liverpool’s most expensive signing in history, joining from Benfica in 2022 in a deal rising to a club-record £85m fee, he’s struggled to repay the faith on the field.
He certainly hasn’t stepped into Roberto Firmino’s boots with the desired effect. The Brazilian maestro redefined what it meant to be Liverpool’s central striker, blending silk with style to supercharge Jurgen Klopp’s historic frontline.
An irreplaceable player, Firmino was described as “an absolute genius” by Steven Gerrard, so intelligent and selfless as he warped and distorted defenders to supplement Salah and Sadio Mane.
Liverpool have had several other unforgettable strikers. Divock Origi, for one, has immortalised his name after providing the ultimate clutch presence, sealing his side’s Champions League triumph in 2019.
Daniel Sturridge also earned his flowers, notably notching 25 goals during the 2013/14. He was a fearsome goalscorer, thwarted by long-term injury issues.
The standout, of course, is Luis Suarez. Clinching 123 goal involvements from 132 outings for the Merseysiders, the legendary Uruguayan practically dragged Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool into a title race in 2013/14, forging one of the most extraordinary individual campaigns you’ll ever see.
Salah’s brilliance has overtaken that of Suarez, but in terms of pure centre-forward ability, he’s perhaps the greatest Liverpool have ever seen.
Nunez has fallen by the wayside, but that’s not to say FSG can’t right their wrongs and bring in the perfect replacement.
Liverpool lining up bigger deal than Nunez
Though efforts to sign the £150m-rated Alexander Isak may fall flat (especially if Newcastle United qualify for the Champions League), Reds sporting director Richard Hughes has compiled a multi-page dossier, with Julian Alvarez revealed to be among the most coveted names.
According to Football Transfers and Anfield Watch, Alvarez are plotting to act on their long-standing interest in the Argentina international, who left Manchester City to sign for Atletico Madrid in an £81m deal last summer.
Though FSG would love to snap him up – having already held talks over directly prising him from City – Liverpool would be looking at the £100m ballpark to complete a transfer, trumping the club-record move for Nunez.
However, Alvarez might just be the perfect stylistic fit for Arne Slot’s system, especially as he has the traits to become Liverpool’s next version of Suarez.
Why Alvarez can be Slot's own Suarez
Man City signed Alvarez from River Plate for a smart £14m figure in January 2022. He went on to win it all – including the World Cup in Qatar – before moving on to play in Diego Simeone’s system last summer.
And so far, he’s been an indisputable success, firing in 22 goals and five assists across 43 matches in all competitions.
Though Liverpool would have to break the bank to bring him in, Alvarez is proven across every platform he’s played on, hitting 32 goal contributions in 2023/24 before leaving Manchester for Spain.
FBref have crunched the numbers and ascertained Alvarez bears a tactical likeness to Isak, which is a rather promising assertion of his chances of succeeding at Anfield. He has, after all, won the whole gamut under Pep Guardiola.
The data-driven site record Alvarez ranks among the top 9% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for 13% progressive passes, the top 8% for progressive carries, the top 20% for successful take-ons and the top 12% for tackles per 90, as per FBref.
Shot-creating actions are pieces of play that lead to a shot. These include moments such as a pass, take-on or foul being drawn.
Liverpool could do far worse. Journalist Neal Gardner has even proclaimed Alvarez to be “the most complete striker in the world right now.”
Such roundedness suggests that Alvarez could succeed Nunez and replicate Suarez’s brilliance on Merseyside. Jamie Carragher called him “one of the greatest players who ever played for the club,” also praising the “mind-blowing” way Suarez created art on the field.
Let’s not forget, Alvarez has posted 22 goals across all competitions since joining Atletico, highlighting the potency he would add to Liverpool’s frontline, certainly far beyond that of Nunez.
Transfer Focus
As per Sofascore, Alvarez only missed one big chance in the Champions League this season before Atletico were controversially dumped out by their noisy neighbours. This is a far cry from Nunez’s profligacy, and indeed carries a semblance of the devastating shooting Suarez produced in red.
Dynamic and fiercely intelligent, Alvarez is the perfect forward to replace Nunez and emulate another South American at Liverpool. Though it would cost a significant fee, Liverpool could bank healthily themselves if Nunez is sold, as expected, this summer.
For now, Slot will make do with his existing options as Liverpool move into the final stretch of the campaign, chasing down the Premier League title, but next year, this could be a move to ensure the club challenge for a horde of further major honours.
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