Arne Slot has rejected suggestions that he does not play Darwin Nunez because of a clause in his contract, which means that Liverpool owes his former club Benfica £ 5 million when he starts another game.
This week's reports in Portugal claimed that the Lisbon club gets a windfall in add-ons when Nunez 60 starts in the Premier League and Champions League combined. The Uruguay striker is currently 59.
It comes after Slot also rejected the idea that Nunez's constant omission of the team was due to a bust of the training ground fourteen days ago, although the manager said that the attacker was not injured or sick.
When asked about this reported clause, Slot said: “Do you always believe what journalists say? Not always? Not me either. Sometimes you should do that, but sometimes it is better not to believe everything that has been written about players.
'This is completely new to me and I have often said that I work here in a club where it is really fun to work.
'So especially sporting directors are assessed by the players they bring in, it is very important for me 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 expected that I would work with him for 10 months, is to tell me:” If you play him, it would cost us so 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 it.
“He never interfers with a line -up.
“It may be true, but if a journalist says so, we have to … (take it with a pinch of salt).”
The future of Nunez outside this season is probably uncertain with a sale. Liverpool rejected an approach to the Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr in the January transfer window, because they did not want him to leave halfway through the campaign. The Saudis retain an interest.