Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock has claimed that the Reds could look to sign “two attackers” in the summer – with Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez potentially heading for the exit door.
The Anfield forward pair have struggled in front of goal this season, leading to speculation over their respective long-term futures on Merseyside. In the case of Jota, the Portuguese striker has been preferred by Arne Slot as Liverpool’s first choice center forward – but has scored just five times in the Premier League in 18 outings in what has been an injury-hit campaign.
However, Uruguayan attacker Nunez has largely been used as an option off the bench by Jurgen Klopp’s successor and has scored just five goals in 23 league appearances. With both players misfiring, fellow forward Luis Diaz has also faced criticism from figures including Kop hero Jamie Carragher for his output, despite tallying up a more respectable nine strikes in 28 league games.
One of the major concerns among Kopites will be the goal droughts which have beset all three players in recent months. In fact, Jota and Diaz have both managed one strike each this calendar year in England’s top tier, with Nunez having contributed a further three goals in the division in 2025.
Irrespective of whether top scorer Mohamed Salah – who has 27 league goals to his name across 2024-25 – stays beyond the end of the season, ex-Reds left-back Warnock is convinced that a major overhaul is required at Anfield in the forward department. Speaking exclusively to Liverpool.com, he said: “Liverpool need to sign two attackers in the summer, regardless of whether Mohamed Salah stays or goes.
“If Slot had everyone to choose from to fill his front three, he’d have Salah on the right, Cody Gakpo on the left, then it’s the two down the middle that aren’t nailed on. At the moment it feels like Diogo Jota is the main central option, which would leave Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez surplus to requirements,” he continued.
“That said, it still doesn’t feel like he’s fully sold on Jota. He realises that he needs players who can play more minutes and Jota is very fragile. He misses a lot of football and that’s not what Slot wants – he wants robust players.”
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Predicting that any of Nunez, Diaz or Jota could depart to make way for fresh reinforcements, he asserted: “”They’ll buy two or three players in forward positions this summer. It depends on what money they can recoup on possibly Nunez and Diaz, but I’ve also heard talk that Jota could be leaving as well. I don’t think they’d let all three go, but Nunez is probably likeliest to leave along with one of the others.
“Something does need to be done in those forward areas. We saw against PSG that they found it so difficult to break them down. I was actually very surprised Liverpool didn’t go in for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia when he became available – he looked an absolute bargain for £60 million. It might’ve just come down to them not being able to match PSG’s financial package, we don’t know.”
As for potential additions heading into the summer, Warnock is convinced that Anfield recruitment chiefs will have an eye on Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak. Weighing up the Reds’ chances of landing the Swedish marksman, he said: “Alexander Isak is a player that Liverpool will definitely be looking at.
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“But again it goes back to what sort of financial package Liverpool can offer. Newcastle will be pricing him at a premium because they won’t want to sell him,” he continued, before theorizing: “If Liverpool recoup a lot of money from Nunez and other players then everyone will know they’ve got money to spend and they’ll end up having to pay more.
“He’s certainly the type of profile Liverpool would like in terms of his quality and ability. The last time they broke the bank was for Alisson and Virgil van Dijk, but with the way the market is now you wonder whether Liverpool would be willing to pay in the region of £150 million for one player.
Ultimately, the pundit admitted that it Liverpool’s transfer plans will be shaped around what Slot’s philosophy in terms of what kind of profile of player he would like to form part of his frontline. He added: “It all comes down to what type of player Slot wants.
“He’s played Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones through the middle before and it’s almost like he wants another midfield-thinking player, rather than someone who runs in behind off the shoulder. He may not even want an out-and-out No. 9. I wouldn’t want to speculate on certain players because we don’t know exactly what kind of player would suit his system.”
