Talk of Saudi Arabian interest in Darwin Nunez appears to have been legitimate, with a reliable source reporting one club was ready to offer a ridiculous wage.
Nunez is not expected to leave Liverpool in the winter transfer window, but there certainly seems to be interest in the divisive No. 9.
While claims of a specific bid from the Saudi Pro League were dismissed by sources on Merseyside, that was not the case with reports of interest from the Middle East.
According to the Telegraph‘s Mike McGrath, in a wider report on bids from Saudi Arabia – including for Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran – Al-Hilal were ready to make an offer for Nunez this month.
Incredibly, McGrath reports that Al-Hilal – one of four clubs owned by the country’s Public Investment Fund – were prepared to pay “around £29 million per year” to sign the Uruguayan.
That equates to an unbelievable £558,000 a week which, before or after tax, would be an eye-watering increase on his wage at Liverpool – thought to be closer to £120,000 a week.
However there appears no desire for Liverpool to sell nor for the player to depart mid-season, though more speculation over a switch to AC Milan suggests Nunez’s representatives may have been exploring his possibilities.
It seems fair to say that if the club were to receive a significant offer for their No. 9 they would be open to discussing a sale.
Nunez remains Liverpool’s club-record signing, with the majority of the £85 million package agreed in 2022 now having been paid to Benfica, but his role in Arne Slot‘s squad does not reflect that.
While there is a positive mood around the forward following his match-winning brace against Brentford, the reality is that he has not performed with the consistency required.
An £85 million striker would reasonably be expected to be among the leading goalscorers not only in the Premier League but across Europe, but so far this season Nunez has scored six and assisted four in 28 appearances.
Whether Saudi interest in Nunez will resurface in the summer, or perhaps even before the end of the winter window on February 3, remains to be seen.
But the fact Al-Hilal were reportedly willing to pay upwards of half a million a year in wages alone shows that the spending power in the Middle East has not faded along with the public interest in the Saudi Pro League.
