Darwin Nunez completed his transfer from Liverpool to Al-Hilal, securing the Saudi Arabian football league's newest high-profile addition. The Uruguayan international signed a three-year contract for an estimated 46.3 million pounds ($62 million).
The most successful team in Saudi Arabia, Al-Hilal, has been looking for a new star player since letting go of Brazil's Neymar in January. Prior to the June Club World Cup, Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down a move, and former Napoli striker Victor Osimhen was reportedly a target as well.
After a mixed stint in the Premier League, during which he had some incredible moments but was unable to establish himself as the Merseyside club's first-choice centre forward, Nunez departs Liverpool. He won the Premier League last season with 40 goals in 143 games. But he made only one league start from the turn of the year and scored just seven goals in 47 total appearances last term.
Nunez's status had been in question during the summer, when Liverpool bolstered their attack with the additions of Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz, as well as rumoured interest in Alexander Isak, a striker for Newcastle.
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Since Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Al Nassr in 2022, a number of players have left Europe's top leagues for Saudi Arabia, and he is one of them. Saudi Arabia has launched an aggressive recruitment campaign to position itself as a major player in international football, and some of the well-known players to make the move include Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane, and Riyad Mahrez.
Al-Hilal, which eliminated Manchester City in one of the biggest upsets at the Club World Cup, already boasts a number of elite players, such as Joao Cancelo, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Alesandar Mitrovic, and Kalidou Koulibaly. It is also coached by two-time Champions League runner-up Simone Inzaghi.
It has won a record 19 Saudi league titles as well as four Asian championships but was beaten to the title by Al-Ittihad last season.
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