Liverpool star Luis Diaz may have handed Arne Slot fresh headache on Colombia duty

Liverpool star Luis Diaz’s recent performances with Jhon Duran while on international duty with Colombia might’ve handed Arne Slot a fresh headache about the future of Darwin Nunez.

The club’s record signing joined from Benfica in 2022 for a whopping £85million but has so far disappointed.

Just 34 goals in 104 matches later, talk of Liverpool cutting their losses and moving Nunez on in the summer has increased since Slot took over in the summer.

It’s clear the Dutch boss isn’t too fond of the Uruguayan, with Nunez having started only one Premier League fixture this term – a game he admittedly did find the back of the net in.

Instead, Diaz has emerged, alongside usual suspect Mohamed Salah, as the standout forward from Slot’s early weeks in charge of the club – form the Colombian has carried forward over to international duty.

Diaz was on target for Colombia during their World Cup qualification clash against Chile, having also found the back of the net during the September international break as well.

But it’s his blossoming connection with Aston Villa ace Duran that could leave Slot with a decision to make.

Diaz and Duran have linked up well together when they’ve played for the national team, with the latter even assisting the former during last month’s 1-1 draw against Peru.

Should Slot’s opinion on Nunez prove terminal and the Reds are forced into the transfer market, goal-machine Duran would likely be towards the top, if not the number one pick, of Liverpool’s striker targets.

And given Duran already has a proven connection with one existing Anfield star, it could make splashing big bucks on another forward more palatable for the Liverpool bigwigs.

The pair’s relationship was on show during a recent television interview, with Duran gatecrashing a televised post-match debrief to tease Diaz, before the 20-year-old praised his team-mate’s ‘monster-like’ ability.

It’s certainly a conundrum Slot might have to face, should Nunez’s performances continue to underwhelm.

What’s more, Slot’s patience with the 25-year-old looks set to be tested in the coming weeks, as a mammoth run of fixtures awaits the six-time European champions.

After Liverpool host Chelsea this weekend, the Merseyside outfit travel to Germany for a Champions League clash against RB Leipzig, before another seismic Premier League meeting with Arsenal the following Sunday.

A double-header against Brighton follows, before facing Bayer Leverkusen and Duran’s current side Aston Villa ahead of the next international break.

If Nunez’s goal contributions are still stalling by then, it could cause Slot to catch a wandering eye in Duran’s direction.