Darwin Nunez is set to become a free agent this summer after reaching a mutual agreement with Al-Hilal to end his Saudi Pro League stint just ten months after it began. The 26-year-old Uruguayan forward left Liverpool last August for an initial fee of £46 million but found himself sidelined following a registration squeeze triggered by the January arrival of Karim Benzema, and has not featured for the club since February.
Nunez earned £400,000 per week in Riyadh but prioritised playing time over financial security, a decision that speaks to the mounting pressure on his career trajectory. Saudi Pro League regulations limit clubs to eight foreign-born players from before 2003, and when Benzema arrived, Nunez paid the price. He recorded six goals and four assists in 16 appearances before being effectively removed from Al-Hilal’s matchday operations entirely.
Chelsea are among the clubs credited with interest in the forward, while Newcastle United have also been linked, though reports suggest the Magpies are more actively targeting other options. Juventus are monitoring the situation from Serie A. For Chelsea, a free agent striker with Premier League pedigree and something to prove represents the kind of market opportunity a club with their squad depth and financial flexibility should consider seriously.
Former France International Marcel Desailly, a World Cup winner in 1998, offered a straightforward assessment of the potential move via Uruguayan outlet Referi, 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.”
Nunez’s Anfield record of 40 goals in 143 appearances across three seasons was a divisive chapter. He contributed meaningfully to Liverpool’s 2024-25 Premier League title run but departed under a cloud following manager Arne Slot’s public criticism of his work rate. At Benfica before his move to England, he scored 34 goals in 41 games and terrorised Champions League defences in ways that justified every pound of his original £64 million fee.
His Saudi experience has understandably raised questions, but context matters here. This was not a failure of form but a failure of squad management. Nunez remained professional throughout his exclusion and worked to maintain fitness with the aim of returning to top-level European football while his national team place also suffered in his absence.
At 26 and available on a free transfer, the commercial and sporting logic for a Premier League club to sign Nunez is straightforward. The risk is his finishing inconsistency, which no Premier League manager has yet solved. The reward is a forward whose physical profile, movement, and intensity remain elite, and who may simply need a clean start to rediscover his best form in a competition that has always suited his style.