On the day of the deadline, the Portugal international transferred from Atletico to Barcelona on loan. There were ‘no shortage of proposals’ for the 23-year-old, according to the Spanish media, with Liverpool being one of the suitors.
According to the report, which the Liverpool Echo cites, Liverpool was ‘prepared’ to include Nunez in a prospective trade because Felix was a player they wanted to capture this summer.
However, a deal ultimately fell through, and on the final day of the transfer window, the Portuguese international decided to remain in Spain and sign with La Liga winners Barcelona.
In the summer of 2019, Felix signed a lucrative contract with Atletico after establishing himself as one of the top young football players in the world while playing for Benfica.
Simeone did not appear to like Felix throughout the previous campaign. Under the Argentine boss, he dropped in the pecking order. The forward was then signed on loan by Chelsea in January after Chelsea made contact.
Felix easily adapted to the demands of the Premier League. Despite being one of Chelsea’s top players during a difficult time, he was unable to save them from finishing the season in 12th place.
Nunez has trouble maintaining consistency at Liverpool after moving there for £85 million last summer. The Uruguayan international was the subject of high expectations given his high asking price, but he consistently delivered below-par performances.
It may not come as a surprise to some that Liverpool was open to the notion of trading Nunez for Felix in the summer transfer window given that the South American struggled to maintain a starting position in Jurgen Klopp’s team during the first few games of the season.
Nunez, however, served as a reminder of his potential after scoring a sensational brace off the bench to help Liverpool defeat Newcastle United 2-1 in late August.
Nunez will want to prove this season why the Merseysiders paid £85 million for him, and Klopp is hoping that performance will give him that confidence.
