Darwin Nunez will leave Liverpool this summer if the right offer is presented, and a proposed move to Saudi Arabia now appears more likely for the striker.
Nunez is considered almost certain to be on his way out of Anfield after failing to establish himself as Arne Slot‘s first-choice centre-forward.
The Uruguayan failed to start in any of his final 10 games of the season, coming off the bench nine times and going unused in the other, with only four starts overall in 2025.
Interest from both Atletico Madrid and AC Milan has been reported by The Athletic‘s James Pearce, but Nunez’s most likely destination appears to be Saudi Arabia.
Al-Hilal, who were claimed to be willing to offer wages of £558,000 a week in January, could now revive their interest following the breakdown of a move for Victor Osimhen.
Transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano reported on Thursday afternoon that Al-Hilal had submitted an official offer of up to €70 million (£59m) for the Napoli striker, only to later update that the deal was “about to collapse.”
This came with there “no agreement with the player” and Galatasaray – where Osimhen spent the 2024/25 season on loan – instead “trying to get the deal done.”
Nunez is considered a likely alternative for Al-Hilal, who will be eager to line up a new striker before the Club World Cup kicks off on June 14.
The transfer window opened on June 1 to allow clubs entering the tournament to register new players, with a June 10 deadline set.
That means Liverpool could feasibly sell Nunez over the weekend, with Al-Hilal putting plans in place ahead of their opening group game against Real Madrid on June 18.
How much Liverpool could demand for Nunez
While no formal price tag has been set at this stage it is clear that, though Liverpool would like to recoup as much of their club-record £85 million outlay as possible, they could be forced to accept a loss.
A fee in the region of the £59 million offered for Osimhen seems reasonable, though Liverpool showed their negotiating power as they held firm to secure a remarkable £10 million from Real Madrid to release Trent Alexander-Arnold a month early.
Nunez still has three years left on his contract at Liverpool and if Al-Hilal are indeed desperate to bring a striker in before the Club World Cup their stance will be very strong.
Al-Nassr, one of Al-Hilal’s rivals in the Saudi Pro League, saw two bids for Nunez rejected in January, the second worth above £60 million, and they could join a proposed “bidding war” with a less strict deadline to land a deal.
