Liverpool have agreed a fee of €53m (£46.3m) plus add-ons with Al-Hilal for Darwin Núñez. The Uruguay international is expected to complete a move to the Saudi Pro League once personal terms have been finalised.
Núñez was interested in a transfer to Saudi Arabia in January, when Liverpool rejected £60m from Al-Nassr as they prioritised winning the Premier League. The player and his representatives reiterated their desire for a move this summer.
Núñez made some important contributions to Liverpool’s successful pursuit of the title but started only eight Premier League games last season and struggled to adapt to Arne Slot’s tactics.
Liverpool had hoped to recoup £60m for the 26-year-old and rejected a bid from Napoli earlier in the window. The Anfield club paid an initial £65m to sign Núñez from Benfica in 2022 with add-ons taking the deal to a potential club record £85m at the time. Despite becoming a popular figure at Anfield, he did not meet expectations under Slot or his predecessor, Jürgen Klopp.
Liverpool will pursue another attacking option if, as anticipated, Núñez signs for Al-Hilal. The club’s bid of £110m plus add-ons for Alexander Isak remains on Newcastle’s table. Any replacement for Núñez – and Liverpool have also lost Diogo Jota and Luis Díaz from their title-winning squad – must have the quality to start and represent fair market value.
after newsletter promotion
Almost £300m has been spent by Liverpool on players this summer, including add-ons, but the club will have recouped £251m in sales since the summer of 2024 should the Núñez deal go through. Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa could also be sold before the transfer window closes on 1 September.