Darwin Nunez compared to Barcelona star as Chelsea in ‘advanced talks’ with Liverpool target

Liverpool are preparing to round off 2022 with their first Premier League match at Anfield since a win over Southampton last month. The Reds host Leicester City on home turf this evening.

After a convincing win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day, Liverpool will be confident of earning another important three points against former manager, Brendan Rodgers. The Foxes head into the match in 13th place, off the back of a 3-0 defeat to Newcastle United.

As the Reds bring another dramatic year to a close, we take a look at the most recent headlines coming out of Merseyside.

Nunez compared to Lewandowski

Darwin Nunez has been the name on everyone’s lips since his big money move from Benfica to Liverpool in the summer. The striker was brought into replace Sadio Mane and has so far split opinions on his first six months at the club.

While Nunez has netted nine goals in all competitions this season, he has missed a number of noteable chances and he has really lacked quality in front of goal, in terms of his finishing at least. The Uruguay international has picked up plenty of stick for some of his performances for Liverpool this season, however his work elseewhere hasn’t gone unnoticed by Jurgen Klopp. The former Borussia Dortmund boss has suggested that it was a similar situation to that of Robert Lewandowski when he joined the German giants 12 years ago.

On Nunez, Klopp said: “The more you can shut off that, the better is it. I think we can all agree the potential is so obvious. Is everything right? No. I think it’s clear when you see the big chance in the second half when he can run a bit at an angle and then he has free choice but it’s all coming.

“I had this situation. Not only with Lewy but Lewy is an obvious comparison, I understand that. It’s just about staying super calm and the team are completely convinced. That’s really cool.”

Click here to read what else Klopp had to say about Nunez and Lewandowski.

Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea

Chelsea are reportedly in advanced negotiations with Benfica over midfielder Enzo Fernandez, according to ESPN’s Esteban Edul. The Argentine was previously heavily linked to Liverpool and it had been claimed that the Reds had reached a pre-agreement over a potential move.

With the journalist revealing the Blues are ‘close’ to snapping Fernandez up, it will come as a huge blow to Liverpool who are desperate to bolster their midfield. The news comes after Benfica president Rui Costa told DAZN that the club will not entertain offers below £106 million - a huge fee considering the Merseyside club are also still chasing Jude Bellingham.

Reports claim that Liverpool are also now in talks to sign Brighton & Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo, while they were also said to be interested in Fiorentina and Morocco midfielder Sofyan Amrabat after his heroics at the Qatar World Cup.

Pele tributes

It was confirmed on Thursday that Brazilian football legend Pele had passed away at the age of 82. The former striker had been suffering with kidney and prostate problems after undergoing surgery to remove a tumour from his colon in September 2021. Pele’s goal tally had been disputed due to the lack of records kept between the 1950s and 1970s, however FIFA put the Brazilian’s tally at an impressive 757 - 77 of which were scored for Brazil as he lifted three World Cups during his career.

Following Pele’s death, tributes poured in from all across the world and a number of Liverpool players were quick to pay their respects. Fabinho shared a post on Instagram and Twitter that read: “His legacy will be eternal. Thank you, Pele. Rest in peace, King!” Elsewhere, Arthur posted a photo of Pele celebrating a World Cup victory with the message: “Rest in peace, King. We will be eternally grateful for everything you did for us Brazilians. My condolences to the family and friends!”

Meanwhile, the likes of Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konate, Jordan Henderson and new signing Cody Gakpo all paid tribute on their Instagram stories. Jamie Carragher took to Twitter to publish a photo of himself and Pele with the caption: “It’s a very sad day for the football world when an icon like Pele passes away. I’ll never forget the awe as a child of watching the VHS tape of Brazil 70, the greatest national team anyone has ever seen. RIP to one of the Gods of the game.”