Darwin Nunez has been placed on the loan market by Al-Hilal, just a year after joining from Liverpool, marking a new low in his Saudi Arabian career. The 27-year-old striker, who was sold for £46 million last summer as a Premier League title winner, has struggled to find form and confidence in the Middle East.
Struggles at Al-Hilal
Despite scoring nine goals and registering five assists in 24 appearances for Al-Hilal, Nunez's inconsistency in front of goal prompted the Saudi Pro League giants to sign Karim Benzema from rivals Al-Ittihad in January. Benzema not only took Nunez's place in the starting XI but also his spot in the club's eight foreign player quota, leading to Nunez's removal from the domestic squad for the remainder of the season.
Following that setback, Nunez spent nearly six months training separately and was limited to sporadic appearances in the AFC Champions League. His lack of competitive football directly impacted his standing with Uruguay boss Marcelo Bielsa ahead of the World Cup, where he played just 76 minutes across the first two matches against Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde. Uruguay failed to progress beyond the group stages, with Nunez failing to score.
Loan Market Move
Al-Hilal have now listed Nunez on the loan market, a rare move by Saudi Pro League sides, according to Portuguese outlet Record. The reason is a lack of clubs interested in a permanent deal willing to pay even a fraction of what Al-Hilal paid last summer. Terminating his contract would cost tens of millions, given he has two years left on his lucrative deal.
Despite being just 27 and in his prime, Nunez is expected to move on this summer, with Turkish side Trabzonspor reported to be interested in a loan deal. Trabzonspor recently signed his former Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah, who played alongside Nunez at Anfield for three years. Nunez scored 40 goals in 143 appearances for Liverpool but fell out of favour during the 2024/25 campaign, starting just eight league games under Arne Slot, who led the Reds to the Premier League title.
