Chelsea 'enquired about Nunez last summer' as Liverpool forward bids to return

Chelsea were reportedly interested in bringing Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez to Stamford Bridge last summer and made an enquiry for the Uruguayan.

Nunez arrived at Anfield for £85million in the summer of 2022 from Benfica, but despite his barn-storming year with the Portuguese outfit, he struggled to repay his massive transfer fee as he was guilty of some shoddy displays and bad misses.

He also stuttered while being compared to Man City's big buy Erling Haaland - who delivered with 52 goals in 53 games to help the club win the treble, while Nunez managed just 15 in all competitions - nine in the league -  and no silverware.

This year, however, Nunez has been a different animal. He has already equalled his goal tally from the entirity of last season in the Premier League and has three goals and one assist in his last five matches.

According to the Times, Chelsea saw a potential opportunity to take Nunez off Liverpool's hands after his inconsistent campaign that came with rumours that the Reds were considering offloading him.

The Merseyside outfit were said to be looking at a potential loan-swap deal for Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix - who ironically failed to impress at Chelsea - leading Chelsea's sporting director Ben Winstanley to take encouragement and make an enquiry.

However, Liverpool swiftly rejected the request after it emerged that the rumour they were looking to let the player go was wide of the mark.

Chelsea made ten major signings last summer to bolster their squad for new manager Mauricio Pochettino, but only two senior forwards arrived in the shape of Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal and Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig.

The pair have just 11 goals between them this term.

Liverpool's faith in Nunez and refusal to let him go looks to have paid off after the player's return to form this term.

He has 13 goals in all competitions, two off the total he managed last season, and also has 11 assists.

Nunez will be hoping to show Chelsea what they missed out on by lining up against them in Sunday's Carabao Cup final, though he faces a fitness test having missed their 4-1 win against Luton due to a muscle problem.

The latest transfer saga involved Chelsea and Liverpool comes after the Blues twice trumped the Reds to key transfer targets.

Liverpool were interested in bringing both Romeo Lavia from Southampton and Moises Caicedo from Brighton, and despite agreeing a fee for the latter, he ended up joining Chelsea in a British club record of £115m.