Uruguayan media have dropped an absolute bombshell by tipping former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez for a stunning return back to Liverpool even if sources close to the player have already moved quickly to pour cold water on the claims.
The striker is currently in the United States ahead of Uruguay’s World Cup Group H opener against Saudi Arabia, but his club future has completely stolen the headlines back on Merseyside.
The Uruguayan claims and Saudi discontent
A Uruguayan journalist claims that Nunez stands on the verge of a surprise return to Anfield, asserting that the clubs have already agreed a deal behind the scenes. However, he also suggested that official confirmation will unlikely materialise for several weeks.
It represents a rapid turn of events. Just last summer, Nunez called time on his Merseyside career to join Saudi Arabian giants Al-Hilal in a transfer worth around £46.3 million. His exit followed shortly after the Reds wrapped up the £79 million acquisition of Hugo Ekitike.
Nunez’s time in the Saudi Pro League has simply not gone to plan. Reports surfaced in February indicating the striker actively sought an escape route after Al-Hilal dropped him from their 25-man squad.
Now, with the World Cup in full swing, Uruguayan outlet Carve Deportiva reports that Nunez will make his way back to Liverpool once the tournament concludes. Nunez remains entirely focused on Uruguay’s World Cup campaign in the United States, which makes any transfer announcement before his nation’s run comes to an end highly improbable.
The former Benfica striker has made it clear he wants no official announcement regarding his next club until he wraps up his international duties.
However, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has since contradicted the reports out of South America, claiming sources close to the striker indicate a return to Anfield remains unlikely at this stage.
A mixed Anfield legacy
Nunez’s initial spell at Liverpool delivered both memorable, chaotic highs and deeply frustrating lows. When he left the club last summer, he departed with a record of 40 goals and 26 assists across 143 appearances, alongside Premier League and League Cup winners’ medals.
He arrived from Benfica in the summer of 2022 in a deal worth approximately £75 million, carrying an impressive track record from Portugal where he scored 48 goals in 85 appearances.
While he ultimately failed to replicate those explosive numbers consistently under the pressure of the Anfield spotlight, a significant portion of the fanbase remained fiercely loyal and expressed genuine heartbreak when the club sold him.
On his departure, Nunez took the time to express his gratitude to the supporters who backed him against heavy media scrutiny. He wrote:
“Thank you, Liverpool. Three years on, it’s time to say goodbye. I’ll take with me countless memories that will live with me forever. I leave with a full heart, thanks to the love of a crowd that never let me down and always had my back – through the highs and through the lows.
“Liverpool will always be part of who I am. I’ll miss you more than words can say. To all my staff and teammates – thank you, and all the very best for the future.”
ReadLiverpoolFC Verdict
Let’s be completely honest here. The sudden noise out of Uruguay linking Darwin Nunez with a return to Liverpool says a lot more about the player’s current misery in Saudi Arabia than it does about any actual transfer strategy at Anfield.
We all know Darwin. He remains a deeply divisive figure among the fanbase some supporters absolutely loved his chaotic brand of football, while others tore their hair out at the missed sitters. But Liverpool closed that chapter last summer.
They spent big money on Hugo Ekitike to lead the line, and the club simply does not look backward, especially for a player who turned 27 this month and lost significant market value during his time in the Middle East.
Nunez obviously wants to escape Al-Hilal after they left him out of the squad in February. You can’t blame him for that. But if his camp expects Liverpool to provide a romantic rescue package, they need a serious reality check.
This one just doesn’t make sense for FSG.
