Darwin Nunez has reportedly reached a “bombshell” agreement to leave Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal this summer, less than a year after his £46 million move from Liverpool in August 2025.
The 26-year-old Uruguayan striker’s time in the Middle East has quickly turned into a “nightmare” due to squad registration issues.
According to reports from Uruguayan outlet Referi and El Observador, Nunez has reached a formal agreement with Al-Hilal’s ownership to terminate his stay permanently at the end of the 2025–26 season. This comes after a turbulent few months where the striker was effectively frozen out of the squad.
Perhaps not the best player who has ever played at Anfield, but one of the most loved at the ground was Nunez.
The 2021–22 Champions League quarter-finals served as the ultimate audition for Darwin Núñez. While Liverpool eventually progressed, the two-legged tie against Benfica felt less like a standard match and more like a scouting mission that changed the trajectory of the club’s recruitment strategy.
Here is a look back at the night Darwin Núñez truly introduced himself to the Anfield faithful and how it paved his way to Merseyside.
In the first leg in Lisbon, Núñez was a constant thorn in the side of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté. Despite Liverpool’s dominance, Darwin’s physicality and relentless vertical running stood out. He scored a composed goal in that match, but it was the return leg at Anfield that sealed his fate.
In a thrilling 3-3 draw, Núñez was electric. He had two goals ruled out for marginal offsides before finally latching onto a ball and side-footing a clinical finish past Alisson Becker.
That night at Anfield created a rare consensus among the Liverpool coaching staff. They weren’t just looking for a replacement for the departing Sadio Mané; they were looking for a “chaos factor” someone who offered a physical profile different from the technical intricacies of former stars Roberto Firmino or Diogo Jota.
Just two months after that Champions League exit, Liverpool acted decisively. They fended off interest from Manchester United to secure Núñez for a fee that could have risen to a club-record £85 million (with add-ons).
Fast forward to today, and it didn’t work out how many had anticipated, but he left last summer having won the Carabao Cup and the Premier League. Though after just 12 months in Saudi Arabia, it seems he could be on the move once again.
It’s reported by El Observador that the 26-year-old has struck an agreement with Al-Hilal to leave this summer after being axed from their plans following the signing of Karim Benzema.
He left the Reds for over £40 million, which helped Arne Slot’s side buy Hugo Ekitike from Frankfurt, who had a great debut season until his Achilles injury, which he suffered in the Champions League quarter-final against Paris-Saint Germain.
Nunez has been more than fine when playing in the Saudi Pro League, having registered 10 goal contributions. Unfortunately for the forward, he’s played just 16 times in the league, having not been a part of the matchday squad since the 16th of February.
His side currently sits in second, just two points off league leaders Al-Nassr with three games left of the campaign.
The Uruguayan international has the World Cup to look forward to with Marcelo Bielsa before returning to the Middle East. It’s believed he’s considering a return to Europe, with plenty of interest from Italy last summer, potentially coming back once again.
A few months back, El Observador reported that Chelsea were keeping a keen eye on the former Liverpool forward, though just like the issues he had on Merseyside, it would be difficult to see him as the number one choice with how well Joao Pedro has taken to life since arriving at Stamford Bridge.
Some Kopites have called out for the 26-year-old to make a return to Anfield, especially with the Frenchman’s injury, but that boat has certainly sailed.
Liverpool need someone like Nunez, but not him
One of the reasons he was so loved by the Anfield faithful was his on-field antics. One of his memorable moments was when he wasn’t even on the pitch in the Carabao Cup final. He was injured at the time, but he went sprinting down the Wembley steps when Virgil Van Dijk headed home in extra time.
One of his best qualities while representing the club was his hard work from the front line. A classic Jurgen Klopp striker, someone who would work hard to press from the front and force defenders into mistakes.
With the sale of fellow South American in Luis Diaz last summer, this profile has left a gaping hole in their squad, with someone needing to fill it. The issue with the 26-year-old is that the frustrations far outweigh the positives.
The number of times this season Ekitike has run through one-on-one with the goalkeeper and calmly placed the ball into the back of the net seems countless, though with Nunez, it almost became a given that he would miss those chances.
He introduced a chaotic nature, which made him lovable but also irritating when watching him miss as many chances as he would. At times, these misses meant that the Reds would drop valuable points or lose games that knocked them out of competitions.
His time at Anfield seems set in stone, and a return doesn’t look possible, but the club need someone with his desire and drive this summer window, just not him.
