Darwin Nunez deal will cost Liverpool £10m as forward nears Al-Hilal split

Liverpool are facing a £10 million hit on Darwin Nunez after the Uruguay striker edged closer to an exit from Saudi Pro League champions Al-Hilal. With the 38-year-old French forward set to take Nunez’s place on the club’s SPL registration list, the former Anfield favourite’s future in Riyadh has been plunged into immediate doubt.

Nunez, who lifted the Premier League title with Liverpool last season, was the subject of persistent transfer speculation linking him with Fenerbahce throughout January, yet he remained in Saudi Arabia when the window closed. Now, with the summer approaching, all signs point to a parting of ways.

Al-Hilal have previously removed players from their domestic squad shortly before sanctioning departures; Roberto Firmino’s exit from city rivals Al-Ahli last term followed an identical pattern. Observers believe Nunez is poised to tread the same path, with a move away from the Kingdom looking increasingly inevitable.

Liverpool, who banked on a sizeable sell-on clause when sanctioning Nunez’s switch to the Gulf last year, now anticipate receiving only a fraction of their initial valuation, leaving the club to absorb a significant financial loss on a player once viewed as a long-term attacking cornerstone.

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