Darwin Nunez hits out at Liverpool in now-deleted tweet

To make matters worse, Nunez has only been included in the starting lineup for one league match in 2025—a 3-1 victory over Southampton in March, during which he scored.

Speculation has arisen suggesting that his lack of starts may be tied to a clause in his contract requiring Liverpool to pay Benfica £5 million upon his next start.

Reports from Portugal indicate that Benfica is set to receive a bonus once Nunez reaches 60 combined starts in the Premier League and Champions League. Currently, he stands at 59 appearances, adding to the intrigue surrounding his situation.

And on Saturday, the Liverpool frontman appeared to address these claims in a deleted post on X. He wrote: ‘No wonder I didn’t play more, because the last game I started in the Premier League went well and suddenly…’

Nunez’s future at Liverpool continues to be a hot topic, with the club turning down an offer from Al-Nassr to sign the striker during the January transfer window.

According to Mail Sport, the Saudi club may revisit their interest in Nunez this summer, coinciding with Liverpool’s anticipated decision on the player’s future.

Shortly after sending shockwaves through the Liverpool fanbase with a controversial tweet, Nunez posted another message that seemed business as usual.

He shared a photo with teammate Alexis MacAllister, enjoying a cup of mate—a traditional South American drink—and captioned it: “Good morning!”

On Friday, Liverpool manager Arne Slot addressed rumors about a contract clause for Nunez, stating that he was unaware of any such arrangement.

Slot also emphasized that Richard Hughes, the club’s sporting director, had not instructed him to refrain from starting Nunez.

Slot said: ‘Do you always believe what journalists say? Not always? Me neither. Sometimes you should, but sometimes it’s better not to believe everything that is written about players.

‘This is completely new to me and I’ve said many times that I’m working at a club here where it’s really nice to work.

‘So mainly sporting directors are judged by the players they bring in, for me it’s very important to have a great working environment and I have that with Richard [Hughes].

‘The last, last, last, last, last thing he would do, as I expect working with him for 10 months, is tell me: “If you play him it would cost us this much”.

‘That, he would never, never, never do. I don’t even know if it’s true, yes or no, because we never talk about that. He never interferes with a lineup.

‘It might be true, but if a journalist says it we have to [take it with a pinch of salt].’