Darwin Nunez is available as a free agent this summer after a miserable spell in the Saudi Pro League ended in a mutual contract termination with Al-Hilal, and two Premier League clubs are now preparing their approaches for the 26-year-old Uruguayan forward.
The striker left Liverpool for Riyadh last August in a deal worth an initial £46 million, representing a significant loss on the £64 million the Merseyside club paid Benfica in 2022. His Saudi adventure began with reasonable numbers: six goals and four assists across 16 league appearances. But the arrival of Karim Benzema in January triggered the foreign player registration rules that effectively ended Nunez’s involvement, with Al-Hilal forced to deregister him to accommodate the former Real Madrid man.
Chelsea have been in contact with Nunez’s representatives for months and appear to be the most likely Premier League destination at this stage. The west London club has a clear need for attacking reinforcement, particularly with uncertainty around Liam Delap’s long-term future at Stamford Bridge. Nunez’s estimated transfer value has dropped to around £28 million from its previous peak, which means the economics could work in Chelsea’s favour if they move decisively this window.
Newcastle United represent the other credible option, and there is a particular narrative logic to their interest. Eddie Howe’s side were tracking Nunez all the way back to his Benfica days before Liverpool outmanoeuvred them in 2022. The departure of Alexander Isak to Anfield last year left a void the club has not convincingly filled since, and while William Osula has contributed three goals in four recent matches, Howe is still hunting for a striker with what he has described as “explosive” physical attributes.
Former France international Marcel Desailly publicly backed a Chelsea move, saying: “I would actually recommend Nunez to Chelsea. He’s a very good player, an intelligent player; he just needs the right environment to perform. When Liverpool identified his potential, they knew what they had statistically.”
Whether Nunez’s time at Anfield actually validated that assessment is a reasonable debate. His 40 goals in 143 appearances told only part of a story defined equally by high-profile misses, positional inconsistency and a falling out with manager Arne Slot in his final months. His work rate and pressing attributes were never in question, but his finishing let him down at too many critical moments for Liverpool to retain him when a reasonable offer arrived.
The Saudi chapter has cost him his Uruguay starting spot as well. He has not featured for Marcelo Bielsa’s national team squad since February, and his participation at the World Cup this summer remains uncertain. That is a significant complication any buying club will have to factor in. A player who has barely played since mid-February, with a World Cup in between, arrives at pre-season training in a very different condition to one coming off a full competitive campaign.
Juventus remain in the background as a potential destination, though the Italian club’s financial position makes a structured deal more complex. The Serie A side are already managing the departures of Dusan Vlahovic and potentially others this summer. Whether they have the budget for a Nunez project on top of those commitments is far from clear.
What ultimately decides this saga is likely to be wage expectations. Nunez earned reportedly £400,000 per week at Al-Hilal, more than double his Liverpool salary. Any Premier League club hoping to sign him at a sensible price will need the player to accept a substantial pay reduction, which is where negotiations often collapse even when transfer fees are manageable.
At 26 and with proven physical tools, Nunez remains a worthwhile gamble at the right price. Chelsea and Newcastle will need to move early if they want to avoid a bidding war that drives his demands back up to Saudi-level territory.
