Darwin Núñez has agreed to join Al-Hilal and will be playing for the Saudi club next season. The transfer, valued at around €53 million, went through after Liverpool gave the green light. According to the BBC, the deal was finalized on Thursday morning, putting an end to the Uruguayan’s short and shaky stint with the Reds.
Núñez arrived at Liverpool in 2022, fresh off a standout run at Benfica, in a deal worth €100 million. But things didn’t really click for him at Anfield. Last season alone, he managed just seven goals in 47 appearances, starting only eight times in a Premier League campaign that ended with the title.
This transfer says a lot about the bigger picture
Darwin’s move to Saudi soccer isn’t just about numbers. Performance tells part of the story, sure, but let’s be honest, he still has plenty left in the tank to compete in Europe. At 26, he’s entering his physical peak. He’s also shown, at other points in his career, that he’s capable of delivering more than he did in Liverpool. Instead of fighting for a place or proving his worth again, he took the simpler path. And that says a lot about the kind of pull Saudi clubs are having on players right now.
Of course, players know their own timing, their goals, their finances, and the pressure that comes with it all. But moves like this create a chain reaction that can’t be ignored. Darwin isn’t close to retirement. Far from it. And still, he chose to leave the most competitive league in the world for a project that, despite its structure, doesn’t yet offer the same technical level, spotlight, or sporting intensity.
Liverpool didn’t hold him back
Another piece of this that stands out is how Liverpool responded. The club didn’t put up much of a fight to keep him. That tells you everything about how they viewed his role moving forward. Internally, it’s clear Darwin wasn’t seen as a key figure in the plans for next season. Even with a league title, he played more of a supporting role than anything else. So when Al-Hilal came knocking, Liverpool saw a clean way out a chance to recover part of the investment and make room for someone who fits better in the current setup.
At a club like Liverpool, the hardest part isn’t buying talent. It’s having the self-awareness to admit when a move didn’t work out and the decisiveness to walk away without dragging things along.