Núñez Hits Hat-Trick as Wirtz Debuts in Liverpool Friendly Win –

Darwin Núñez scored a rapid first-half hat-trick and club-record signing Florian Wirtz made his debut as Liverpool defeated Stoke City 5-0 in a behind-closed-doors friendly at their training ground on Sunday.

The impressive victory served as a final preparation before the Premier League champions departed for their pre-season tour of Asia.

Núñez, who has been linked with a move away from Anfield this summer, sent a clear message of his form by scoring three times inside the first 20 minutes. Youngster Rio Ngumoha and Italian international Federico Chiesa also found the net for Arne Slot’s side.

Wirtz, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee that could rise to £116 million, featured in a strong first-half lineup that also included Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, and Mohamed Salah. Liverpool made ten changes at the break, with other new signings Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong making appearances in the second half.

Meanwhile, the club’s pursuit of another forward continues. Sources have told ESPN that talks with Eintracht Frankfurt for striker Hugo Ekitike are ongoing. Liverpool reportedly turned their attention to the Frenchman after being informed by Newcastle United that their primary target, Alexander Isak, was not for sale. Isak was left out of Newcastle’s friendly against Celtic on Saturday, with manager Eddie Howe citing the ongoing transfer speculation as the reason for his absence, though he expressed confidence the striker would remain at the club.

Later on Sunday, Liverpool announced their 29-man squad for the tour of Asia. Luis Díaz was included in the travelling party despite missing the Stoke friendly and recent transfer speculation linking him with a move to Bayern Munich. However, Federico Chiesa was a notable absentee. The club has stated that the Italian forward was left out to manage a “minor issue.”