Liverpool have agreed a fee of €53m (£46.3m) plus add-ons with Al-Hilal for Darwin Núñez. The Uruguay international is expected to complete a move to the Saudi Pro League once personal terms have been finalised.
Núñez was interested in a transfer to Saudi Arabia in January, when Liverpool rejected £60m from Al-Nassr as they prioritised winning the Premier League. The player and his representatives reiterated their desire for a move this summer.
Núñez made some important contributions to Liverpool’s successful pursuit of the title but started only eight Premier League games last season and struggled to adapt to Arne Slot’s tactics.
Liverpool had hoped to recoup £60m for the 26-year-old and rejected a bid from Napoli earlier in the window. The Anfield club paid an initial £65m to sign Núñez from Benfica in 2022 with add-ons taking the deal to a potential club record £85m at the time. Despite becoming a popular figure at Anfield, he did not meet expectations under Slot or his predecessor, Jürgen Klopp.
Liverpool will pursue another attacking option if, as anticipated, Núñez signs for Al-Hilal. The club’s bid of £110m plus add-ons for Alexander Isak remains on Newcastle’s table. Any replacement for Núñez – and Liverpool have also lost Diogo Jota and Luis Díaz from their title-winning squad – must have the quality to start and represent fair market value.
Isak again trained alone at Newcastle on Thursday and will play no part in this weekend’s Sela Cup at St James’ Park, where Newcastle face Espanyol on Friday night and Atlético Madrid on Saturday afternoon.
The Sweden striker is believed to have met Eddie Howe on Wednesday afternoon after a solitary training session timed to avoid a club barbecue involving the families of players and staff to which Isak was not invited.
Newcastle’s manager has said players need “to earn the right” to train with his first team and that anyone exhibiting “poor behaviour” would not be offered the privilege of working with the squad. It seems Isak’s decision to skip Newcastle’s pre-season tour of Singapore and South Korea while attempting to force a move to Liverpool has left Howe distinctly unimpressed.
There is a growing sense Isak will end up at Anfield but Newcastle will not sell him until they have at least one replacement. A deal for Brentford’s Yoane Wissa is expected to be sealed once the London club find a new striker, and Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson are among other forwards on Howe’s shortlist.
Liverpool have spent almost £300m on players this summer, including add-ons, but will have recouped £251m in sales since the summer of 2024 should the Núñez deal go through. Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa could also be sold.
