Darwin Núñez Set for Loan Move to Trabzonspor with Mohamed Salah

Darwin Núñez is on the move again. One year after a £46m switch to Al-Hilal, the former Liverpool striker is now closing in on a shock loan to Trabzonspor – and a reunion with Mohamed Salah.

From Anfield hope to Saudi surplus

Núñez’s Liverpool exit last summer felt like a gamble for everyone. Liverpool banked £46m for a forward they once saw as a long-term spearhead, part of a clear-out that raised over £250m as the club stripped back players deemed expendable. That money underpinned a record £455m recruitment drive, bringing in headline names such as Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong.

For Núñez, it was supposed to be a reset. He left Merseyside with an emotional farewell, looking for a cleaner slate and a starring role in Saudi Arabia.

Instead, he ran into Karim Benzema.

Al-Hilal’s signing of the Frenchman pushed Núñez down the pecking order. The Uruguayan, once framed as a centrepiece, quickly found himself labelled surplus to requirements again and looking for another escape route.

Salah link-up in Turkey

That escape now looks like Trabzon. Salah, who ended his glittering nine-year stay at Anfield this summer, signed a two-year deal with Trabzonspor last week. Now the Turkish club are moving for another familiar Liverpool face.

Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu reports that Trabzonspor have reached an agreement with Núñez and are in talks with Al-Hilal to finalise the deal. Other reports indicate the move is likely to be a loan rather than a permanent transfer.

If that structure holds, it could suit all three parties. Núñez gets a stage and minutes, Trabzonspor land a high-profile forward without a huge fee, and Al-Hilal retain control of an asset whose value they would like to restore.

Talks with MLS side Atlanta surfaced last month, but that avenue went nowhere. Turkey, not the United States, now stands as Núñez’s route back into the European conversation.

A career that never quite matched the noise

The numbers from his Liverpool spell were not disastrous. Far from it. Núñez made 143 appearances for the club, scoring 40 goals and supplying 26 assists. Those are respectable returns for a player still developing in a high-pressure environment.

The noise around him, though, rarely matched the stats. He lived under a constant microscope, his misses replayed more often than his goals. The price tag followed him everywhere.

Alex Grimaldo, who shared a dressing room with Núñez at Benfica and now plays for Atletico Madrid, has never understood that reaction.

“I thought that when he went to Liverpool, he was perfect for the Premier League, the type of player, and for Liverpool above all,” he told After de Post United, via El Universo. “He was a very fast, very powerful striker, with a lot of goals, a good shot.

“I think he’s scored a lot of goals, he’s played… I just don’t understand the criticism. It always happens that when there’s a very high price, they demand double or triple, and it’s not the player’s fault, because the player has nothing to do with the price. It’s between clubs.

“So, in the end, you go to a team like Liverpool, there’s pressure, they demand a lot of you. There's always criticism, but I think he’s scored a lot of goals and assists for Liverpool anyway.”

That tension – between output and expectation – has followed Núñez from Lisbon to Liverpool to Riyadh. Trabzonspor could be where he finally bends that narrative back in his favour.

A crossroads in Turkey

A loan spell in the Turkish Super Lig offers exactly what he needs: games, goals, and a chance to be a focal point again. If he clicks alongside Salah, the spotlight will follow. So will scouts.

For Al-Hilal, a strong season in Trabzon could significantly boost Núñez’s valuation, putting him back on the radar of major European clubs if they decide to cash in permanently.

For Núñez, it is simpler. At 25, he stands at a crossroads. Another year on the fringes and the perception hardens. A ruthless, goal-laden stint in Turkey and the story changes quickly.

He has already left Anfield, left Saudi Arabia’s comfort zone and is now about to step into a new cauldron, with Salah waiting on the other flank.

This time, does he finally turn potential into something nobody can argue with?