Darwin Núñez's Struggles: From Liverpool Star to Al-Hilal Outcast

Darwin Núñez’s Liverpool return is drifting from fantasy to non-starter.

The Uruguayan striker, once the banner signing of a new era at Anfield, is now a distressed asset in Saudi Arabia, short of minutes, rhythm and admirers on Merseyside. As he chases World Cup glory with Uruguay, his club future looks far less glamorous.

From record signing to unwanted option

Núñez walked out of Anfield last summer, swapping the Premier League for the riches of Al-Hilal in a deal worth an initial £46 million and a staggering £400,000 per week. It was a move framed as a reset, a fresh start away from the scrutiny and intensity of English football.

It has turned into a dead end.

Since February, the 27-year-old has barely kicked a ball in anger. Al-Hilal’s decision to bring in Karim Benzema pushed Núñez to the fringes, and then beyond them. The club de-listed him from their domestic squad, leaving a prime-age striker watching from the stands while the season moved on without him.

For a player built on power, movement and relentlessness, inactivity has been brutal.

Bielsa’s concern and a fading physical edge

Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa has long been an admirer of high-energy forwards, players who can press, run and repeat. Núñez once fit that mould. According to reports, Bielsa now has reservations.

The former Leeds United manager is said to believe Núñez has “physically deteriorated” during his spell on the sidelines in Saudi Arabia. That is a damning assessment for a striker whose game relies less on subtlety and more on explosiveness.

Those concerns arrive at a pivotal moment. Al-Hilal are understood to be ready to rip up his lucrative contract, or at least sanction a heavily reduced fee, to clear the decks and allow Núñez to return to Europe. He is, in effect, on the market at a discount.

Yet Liverpool, the club who once broke their transfer record to bring him in, are not biting.

Liverpool step back as Milan step forward

The outgoing Premier League champions have been linked with a romantic reunion, but recent reports suggest the sentimentality stops there. Liverpool, reshaping under new leadership and with a clear eye on value and profile, are not convinced that Núñez is worth the gamble a second time.

While Anfield cools, San Siro warms.

Rúben Amorim’s AC Milan are emerging as the serious suitors. The Italian giants, in need of fresh firepower and always alert to opportunity in a distorted market, are now exploring a deal for the former Liverpool No 9.

“There have already been some contacts with players attending the World Cup, one of whom is Darwin Nunez,” a report from Milan Vibes states. The interest is real. The numbers are the problem.

Núñez’s current salary, around €2 million per month, sits miles outside Milan’s wage structure. To bring him in, the Rossoneri would need to bend their model or find a creative solution.

Two paths on the table

According to the same report, Milan see two possible routes.

• One is a permanent transfer at a fee “significantly lower” than what Al-Hilal paid, giving the Italians full control over his new salary. That option becomes far more palatable if Rafael Leão, currently occupying the club’s biggest wage slot, were to leave. Leão’s future has been a recurring subplot at San Siro; his departure would free space both tactically and financially.
• The other route is a loan, with Al-Hilal subsidising a chunk of Núñez’s salary. On paper, it looks the neatest solution. In reality, it is described as “highly unlikely” – a reminder that Saudi clubs do not often volunteer to bankroll European rebuilds.

For Milan, the equation is simple: is Núñez a reclamation project worth restructuring for, or an expensive risk at a time when every euro must count?

A career at a crossroads

Núñez has been here before, at least in theory. During his Liverpool days he was linked with Milan, a move that never materialised. More recently, he is reported to regret missing out on a switch to Napoli last summer, a sliding-doors moment that might have kept him in Europe’s shop window rather than marooned in Saudi Arabia.

Now he stands at 27, his prime years ticking away, his reputation dented but not destroyed. The raw tools that once persuaded Liverpool to spend big have not vanished. The question is who believes they can still be sharpened.

Liverpool, for now, are turning away from the idea of a reunion. Milan are circling, weighing cost against potential reward.

If Núñez wants to prove Bielsa wrong and reignite a career that has stalled alarmingly, the next move cannot be another misstep.