Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson has revealed what he’s told Darwin Núñez behind closed doors amid a huge Mohamed Salah salary claim involving Cristiano Ronaldo.
Alisson says he and his teammates have told Darwin Núñez to remain ‘patient’ amid his early frustrations at Anfield.
Núñez came off the bench to score two late goals on Sunday as Liverpool remarkably fought back from a goal down with 10 men to beat Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
The Uruguayan has been unable to nail down a spot in the Reds’ first XI since he made a potentially club-record £86m move from Benfica a year ago, starting just 19 of its first 41 Premier League matches in that time.
Núñez, who scored 14 goals in his debut campaign but missed 20 big chances in the top-flight alone, has had to be content with a reserve role in the first three matches of the new season, but will hope his heroics against Newcastle truly kick-start his Anfield career.
Alisson says he’s offered the 24-year-old reassurances about supporters’ ‘love’ for him, with the ‘on fire’ striker desperate to carry the team forward.
“I said to him so many times, ‘people at Liverpool here they love you, they want you to do well and you need to be patient’,” he said, via the ECHO. “I think he is showing that and being patient.
“But this guy has a fire inside of him, he has a lot of desire to play more, to be decisive for the team. It’s not a selfish thought. He just wants really to help the team to make big things, to win games and win trophies. This is the kind of mentality you can get from Darwin as this guy is on fire and I hope he can keep this performance from now on.”
Meanwhile Al-Ittihad has promised Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah would earn a comparable wage to Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar if he joins the club, according to The Express.
The Saudi Pro League side is determined to capture Salah after previously using its Public Investment Fund cash to lure the likes of Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kanté and the Egyptian’s former teammate Fabinho.
Liverpool is adamant that the 31-year-old is not for sale, but Al-Ittihad will try to tempt Salah nonetheless with a monumental salary offer.
Ronaldo is believed to be earning £159m per year after joining Al-Nassr at the end of last year following his release from Manchester United (via Marca), while Neymar is apparently taking home £129m over the same period (via Sky Sports).
Salah’s current contract is worth £350k-per-week, making it the largest in Liverpool’s history, but that ‘only’ translates to £18m per year.
He still has two years left on that deal, so if he even did express a desire to leave, Al-Ittihad would have to agree a fee with a club that is in no mood to do business.
