Darwin Nunez is considered likely to leave Liverpool this summer, and interest from Saudi Arabia could accelerate a transfer to days after the season ends.
Nunez is expected to be playing out his final weeks as a Liverpool player, and his absence from the squad for Sunday’s 2-1 win over West Ham raised eyebrows.
Arne Slot explained that his No. 9 missed out due to illness, though there remains skepticism over the situation given a similar scenario played out amid interest from Saudi clubs in January.
The 25-year-old is still attracting interest from the Saudi Pro League and that seems his most likely destination when the transfer window opens.
Al-Hilal were reported to be ready to sign Nunez in the winter, with the Telegraph‘s Mike McGrath claiming they were willing to offer a £558,000-a-week contract, and their ongoing interest could prompt a swift exit.
With Al-Hilal taking part in this summer’s Club World Cup, it is not unrealistic to suggest talks could take place over a move in time for that tournament, which kicks off on June 14.
Clubs taking part in the expanded 32-team tournament are permitted to sign players in a brief window of June 1 to 10 before the usual transfer window, which for the Premier League falls between June 16 and September 1.
That means if Al-Hilal did make another approach for Nunez to secure his services before the Club World Cup he could leave Liverpool just days after their title celebrations.
Liverpool play their final game of the season against Crystal Palace on May 25 and their proposed title parade would take place the following day.
It raises the prospect of Nunez celebrating in front of half a million supporters in Liverpool on the Monday before finalising a switch to Saudi Arabia on the Sunday.
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Liverpool would still seek a significant fee for the Uruguayan despite falling out of favour under Slot – he remains their record signing having cost £85 million in 2022 and still has three years left on his contract.
Al-Hilal’s rivals Al-Nassr were claimed to have seen two bids for Nunez rejected in the winter window, with the second worth in excess of £62.4 million plus add-ons.
They went on to sign Jhon Duran from Aston Villa in a £65 million deal, with their attack also including Cristiano Ronaldo – reportedly set to sign a new contract – and Sadio Mane.
