Liverpool want to sign 21-year-old star dubbed Darwin Nunez's replacement: report

Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez has just three goals to his name this season
Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez has just three goals to his name this season (Image credit: Getty Images)

Liverpool are said to have identified a perfect replacement for striker Darwin Nunez.

Nunez - who has just three goals to his name so far - has been slammed for the number of opportunities he fails to take, with the former Benfica man topping Liverpool's charts last season for big chances missed in the Premier League.

Manager Arne Slot - ranked at no.9 in FourFourTwo's list of the best managers in the world right now - has only made two signings during his tenure at Anfield so far but another player has now been suggested to him according to recent reports.

Liverpool leading the chase for Ricardo Pepi

PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi has seven goals already in Holland this season and is being monitored by Liverpool

PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi has seven goals already in Holland this season (Image credit: Getty Images)

According to Caught Offside, PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi is a player Liverpool continues to monitor given his standout form in the Netherlands this season.

Pepi, who has seven goals to his name in all competitions, is a USMNT international and at 21, would be the ideal age range that the Reds would be looking at, given the uncertainty around Mohamed Salah heading into the summer.

Ricardo Pepi has already been capped 31 times by the USMNT and is wanted by Liverpool

Ricardo Pepi has already been capped 31 times by the USMNT (Image credit: PA)

The report suggests Pepi could be available for as little as €25million (£20.7million) and that may prompt Liverpool, amongst others, to consider a move for him come the summer months.

Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid have also shown their interest but he is under contract at PSV until 2028 having joined in 2023 from FC Augsburg.

"I'm at a point in my career right now where I'm ready," he stated in a recent interview whilst on international duty.

"I feel like I've been showing that, whether with my club or national team. I'm ready to start and get more playing time. I want to seize every opportunity that comes my way."

Working closely with former Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino too, Pepi insists the talented coach is helping to make him a more well-rounded forward.

"It comes out most of the time, of course, in training," Pepi said. "[Pochettino] is always pushing it to my limits, whether it's with the pressing, whether it's scoring goals and stuff like that.

"So yeah, it's something that I really appreciate. I don't shy away from these types of coaches. I think it's something that for me is necessary to be able to get pushed to the end, and I feel like that's what makes me as a player."

Matthew Holt

Matthew is a Freelance Journalist and has racked up bylines for Manchester United, Manchester Evening News, GOAL and SPORTbible to name a few. A long-term sufferer of Scunthorpe United, he currently resides in the north-west after escaping the smog of North Lincolnshire.