Darwin Núñez is offered four European clubs after a stay in the desert that has been a letdown for everyone from the first minute.
He is not the first and certainly not the last to discover that everything is not a bed of roses Saudi Arabia.
Darwin Núñez is expected to leave Al Hilal – just one year after he left Liverpool for Saudi Arabia.
The 27-year-old Uruguayan is said to have been offered four European clubs by Al Hilal, who are desperately trying to get rid of the unpopular striker. Núñez is expected to leave the club – just one year after he arrived from Liverpool in a deal worth £46.3 million.
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Núñez is said to earn £400,000 a week at the Saudi Pro League club – making him one of the world’s highest-paid footballers. But his time in Riyadh has been nothing short of disastrous.
After Karim Benzema arrived in January, Núñez was removed from Al Hilal’s squad for the second half of the season. Saudi Arabian clubs are only allowed to register eight foreign players born before 2003 in their 25-man squads – and to the surprise of many, Núñez was cut, along with former Arsenal defender Pablo Marí.
After scoring six goals in 14 games in the Saudi Pro League last season, it looks like Núñez is on his way out of the Riyadh club in the coming weeks.
More clubs in the picture
Multiple layers are connected to a transition. Last month, Italian outlet Tuttosport claimed that former Manchester United coach Rúben Amorim is keen to sign the Uruguayan following his appointment at AC Milan.
A move to MLS club Atlanta United has also been rumored.
Al Hilal has not yet received a suitable transfer fee for Núñez, according to Istanbul-based journalist Yağız Sabuncuoğlu. He claims that the Saudi Arabian club is now actively offering the player to other clubs – and has asked the big four teams in the Super Lig – Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş and Trabzonspor – if they want to sign Núñez on loan.
Al-Hilal officials are due to fly to Turkey in the coming days to open talks.
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Barcelona also announced
Al Hilal have made Núñez available on loan – and Barcelona, a club that has previously been linked with a transfer, has been notified, according to Sport. No formal negotiations have taken place between Barca and the Saudi Arabian club.
Núñez has been spotted at Al Hilal’s training camp in Austria, but the club are keen to send him to Europe on loan – in the hope that he can rebuild his reputation and secure a permanent transfer elsewhere.
One thing is certain: Darwin Núñez is not wanted in Saudi Arabia. The question is where he will end up next.
