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Darwin Nunez and Alexander Isak find their futures somewhat intertwined this summer, but had things turned out differently, the pair may have already been playing alongside each other.
Isak continues to be heavily linked with a move to Liverpool, despite the Reds having a $146 million bid turned down by Newcastle on Friday. There is currently no plan for a second bid, although there are suggestions that could change should the Magpies find a replacement.
Nunez, meanwhile, looks as though he could depart Anfield this summer as a result of Liverpool’s interest in Isak. An exit has been on the cards for some time now, although the Uruguayan has done his best to make a case for staying with four goals in pre-season so far.
The chances of the pair playing together at Liverpool are very slim, even if Isak does manage to force through a move to Merseyside. With Hugo Ekitike having already been signed this summer, Nunez’s future almost certainly lies away from Anfield now, even if a move to Napoli looks to have been ruled out.
They could have ended up playing alongside each other, long before Liverpool’s interest in either player was known.
Former Barcelona technical director Ramon Planes has lifted the lid on how close the La Liga giant came to signing the pair, with Isak in particular catching his eye on a number of occasions while at Real Sociedad.
“Then there have been players who have been able to come and it was not possible. I remember the case of Isak, a player that I particularly liked a lot,” Planes told Sport.
“I saw him as a striker with a Barça profile, a very associative striker, a striker with a lot of mobility. I liked him a lot at Real Sociedad. I would tell you that we were also very, very, very close, very close at the time. But it was not to be.”
And Isak could have found himself playing alongside Nunez had things turned out differently. According to Planes, the Uruguayan was eyed up to replace another player linked to Liverpool before he made the move to Benfica in 2020.
“And so did Darwin Nunez. When I was in Almeria I remember talking to Ronald Koeman to incorporate him and make a project very similar to Pedri’s,” he added.
“Sign him for very little money and leave it in Almeria. But Benfica came and paid 25 million euros.
“We had Darwin very close as a possible replacement little by little for Luis Suarez. I think the search for the centre-forward is a thorn in the side. Having found that centre-forward for the next ten years for Barcelona was a challenge that was not possible.”
Nunez would of course go on to join Liverpool two years later, although it could have been Isak that made the move to Anfield instead, only for Jurgen Klopp to push for the former.
Three years on, it’s possible the duo’s paths could cross again, but only briefly if Liverpool manages to pull off a deal for Newcastle’s prize asset.
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