Arne Slot has dismissed suggestions that he is not playing Darwin Nunez because of a clause in his contract that means Liverpool will owe his former club Benfica £5million when he starts another game.

Reports in Portugal this week claimed that the Lisbon club will get a windfall in add-ons when Nunez makes 60 starts in the Premier League and Champions League combined. The Uruguay striker is currently on 59.

It comes after Slot also rejected the idea that Nunez’s continued omission from the team was due to a training-ground bust-up a fortnight ago, though the manager said the forward was not injured or ill.

Asked about this reported clause, 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).’

Nunez’s future beyond this season is uncertain with a sale likely. Liverpool rejected an approach from Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr in the January transfer window as they did not want him to leave midway through the campaign. The Saudis retain an interest.