6 days ago
59
Darwin Nunez's impending transfer from Liverpool to Al-Hilal is set to provide a significant financial boost for one of his former clubs.
The Uruguayan striker is due to meet with the Saudi Arabian heavyweights in Germany, where they are currently holding their training camp, for a medical examination. The deal will see Arne Slot's team pocket an initial £46 million ($61.8M), with potential add-ons pushing the total fee beyond £50M ($67.2M).
Despite his struggles at Anfield, the former Benfica forward is expected to earn a staggering weekly wage of around £400,000 ($537.6K) in the Middle East. That's been compared to Erling Haaland here.
However, it's not just Liverpool and Nunez who stand to benefit financially from this move. His first senior club, Penarol, based in his native Uruguay, have already profited handsomely from his European transfers.
In 2019, a then 20-year-old Nunez made his inaugural move to Europe, signing with La Liga outfit Almeria. The Spanish side paid a record-breaking fee for a Uruguayan footballer of approximately £6.94M ($9.33M), but astutely included a 20 percent sell-on clause in the agreement.
Just over a year later, Nunez's boyhood club found themselves in the money. Impressed by his performances in Spain, Benfica splashed out around £21.7M ($29.2M) to bring him to Portugal. This resulted in Penarol receiving roughly £4.34M ($5.8M).
According to El Observador, Penarol were also entitled to a further sum when Liverpool opted to sign Nunez in the summer of 2022.
Liverpool, under the management of Jurgen Klopp, secured his signature for an initial £65M ($87.4M), with potential add-ons escalating the deal to a possible £85M ($114.3M). Penarol, due to their astute dealings when he moved to Almeria, pocketed around £3M ($4M) from the transfer.
The Reds also demonstrated their financial acumen, as not all of the proposed add-ons had to be paid out. The decision by Slot not to field him in one more Premier League match for Liverpool last season reportedly saved the club an estimated £4.3M ($5.78M) by avoiding triggering one of the clauses.
However, Penarol still retain approximately 3 percent of any future transfer fee Liverpool receives for him. Upon completion of his move to Saudi, they stand to gain around £1.34M ($1.8M) from the transaction.
In total, Penarol has earned roughly more than $20M from the 26-year-old Nunez over time. It's a significant sum for the Uruguayan club, especially considering Nunez only made 14 appearances for them.
Most intriguingly, there is a possibility that they may welcome him back in the future. He has previously expressed his desire to return to the club where he started at the age of 13.
During an interview with a Uruguayan television channel in 2023, he stated: "One day I plan to return and lift the Copa Libertadores with my Peñarol shirt."
English (US) ·