Premier League Champion Liverpool Sell Darwin Nunez to Al-Hilal

Premier League winners Liverpool have sold Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal for £46.3m on a three-year deal. Nunez scored 40 goals in 143 games but only started once in the league after January, netting seven in 47 appearances last season. Al-Hilal, coached by Simone Inzaghi, already boasts stars like Koulibaly and Mitrovic.

For the second time in recent years, Saudi Arabia’s Pro League has landed a major football star with Darwin Núñez leaving Premier League champions Liverpool to join Al-Hilal. The Uruguay striker, signed for a reported £46.3 million ($62 million), agreed to a three-year deal. Al-Hilal, the most decorated Saudi club with 19 league titles and four Asian championships, had been seeking a marquee signing after Neymar’s departure in January.

The club, coached by Simone Inzaghi, already boasts players like Kalidou Koulibaly, Sergej Milinković-Savić, João Cancelo, and Aleksandar Mitrović. Núñez departed Liverpool after an inconsistent spell of 40 goals in 143 appearances, but struggled for game time last season, making only one league start in 2025 and scoring seven goals in 47 matches across all competitions.

His exit follows Liverpool’s attacking reinforcements in Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz, along with interest in Alexander Isak. Núñez joins a growing list of stars, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Sadio Mané, and Riyad Mahrez lured to Saudi Arabia in 2022 in a bid to elevate the league’s global profile. Al-Hilal, who famously eliminated Manchester City at the Club World Cup, aims to reclaim the league title after finishing behind Al-Ittihad last season.