Danny Murphy feelings clear on Darwin Nunez and Viktor Gyokeres Liverpool transfer swap

Ex-Reds midfielder Danny Murphy has surrounding Liverpool's and Scandinavian sensation Viktor Gyokeres, both of whom shone in their respective Champions League matches. It has been mooted that Liverpool could swap out Nunez for the Sporting star.

With Nunez coming off the bench to help and Gyokeres bagging a hat-trick in Sporting CP's surprise victory over Manchester City, the spotlight is on the forwards.

While Gyokeres boasts a tally of 16 goals in 10 games in the Primeira Liga, Nunez has mustered seven in the Prem—equivalent to what Gyokeres netted across his last two appearances alone.

Despite Nunez commanding a hefty $110 million fee making him Liverpool's priciest purchase, the Uruguayan striker hasn't yet cemented his place as an undisputed starter. In a chat with Boylesports, Murphy fervently backed Nunez, saying, "Darwin Nunez is a number nine. Make no mistake of that. His physical attributes, the way he plays the game, he plays as a nine.

"Is he as prolific as you want your number nine to be? Arguably not. But the other things he brings are really important to the way this Liverpool team plays. When he plays he shows constant willingness to put himself in positions to score goals even when he's struggling.

"When you talk about forward players, winger and strikers, most of them are hot and cold. The ones that aren't are the best in Europe like Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland and not many others.

"I think the great thing that Liverpool players have at the moment, this mentality that I see, is that it doesn't really matter if Diaz, Nunez, Gakpo or Jota aren't playing that well. It doesn't affect their physical energy and output for the team."

The Uruguayan hasn't been able to return to the form he was in at Benfica. In the 2021/2022 season, he bagged 34 goals in 41 games. In just over two years at Liverpool, he has achieved 35 goals, one more than that fantastic season in Portugal. There may be fear within the club to replace him due to his large price tag and not wanting it to seem a waste.

However, a striker like Gyokeres being out there will most certainly be tempting. But with a $108 million release clause, Liverpool would once again have to spend the big bucks.

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"Liverpool should only look to replace Nunez if there was an available striker out there that would definitely be an improvement on him," Murphy said. "There is talk about Viktor Gyokeres who has obviously evolved and he's scored a load of goals and he's doing well in Portugal - but that's not enough to say that he is better than Darwin Nunez. It's not a given.

"Nunez is still a young man really. I know you can't wait forever but when a new manager comes in the door, he's going to be working with him in a new system and it's going to take some time as well as a bit of a run in the team."