4 days ago
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Liverpool's Darwin Nunez is on the brink of a transfer to the Saudi Pro League, with an agreement in principle reached with Al-Hilal.
However, the Uruguayan striker could face an immediate setback. The 26-year-old's time at Anfield appears to be drawing to a close after a divisive spell in his professional soccer career.
Nunez reportedly bid farewell to his Liverpool teammates this week before heading to Germany for Simone Inzaghi's pre-season preparations. It's believed the Reds have agreed to sell the striker for £46.3million ($62.3 million), plus bonuses, marking the latest departure from Merseyside. If the deal goes through, Nunez will follow fellow South American, Luis Diaz, out the door, who joined Bayern Munich last month.
Jarell Quansah and Caoimhin Kelleher are also among the departures from Merseyside, having moved to Bayer Leverkusen and Brentford, respectively.
A profitable move to Saudi Arabia is on the cards for Nunez, but he could face an immediate setback if the transfer is finalized, as Al-Hilal will be barred from the 2026-27 Saudi Super Cup.
This means Nunez would have one less opportunity to win silverware next season, should he complete his move to the club.
It's yet to be confirmed whether Nunez will be included in the squad to face Crystal Palace in the Community Shield on Sunday, but Reds boss Arne Slot touched on the imminent exit during his pre-match press conference.
"You never talk about players that are not yours, so I can talk to you about Hugo, who we have signed recently and has done really well until now," Slot said.
"We are very happy with the squad we are having and there is every reason to be happy because we won the league last season. Ok, players left but we have brought players in as well and the youngsters doing well.
"At this moment in time, Darwin might leave but things are not signed yet so we need to wait a few days until that maybe is completely done but there is a chance he could leave."
The defending champion has been hit with punishment by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation's (SAFF) Disciplinary and Ethics Committee following its withdrawal from the tournament owing to its Club World Cup commitments.
Al-Hilal blamed player exhaustion for its absence from the competition, which was scheduled to commence on August 19 in Hong Kong. Inzaghi's outfit had exited the Club World Cup on July 4 at the quarterfinal stage following a 2-1 loss to Fluminense.
The side has also been handed a 500,000 Saudi Riyal fine (around $133,000) and face exclusion from the following season's tournament as part of its punishment.
Al Hilal was set to take on King's Cup finalist, and Robbie Fowler's previous employers, Al-Qadsiah, but Al-Ahli have stepped in as replacements after Roberto Firmino led the club to AFC Champions League glory.
In a thrilling semifinal clash set for 10 days' time, Fabinho's Al-Ittihad will face off against Al-Nassr, marking a reunion with Sadio Mane.
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