6 days ago
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Liverpool's Darwin Nunez is set to pocket a princely sum in Saudi Arabia, yet his earnings will still pale in comparison to the Premier League's top earner, Erling Haaland.
The 26-year-old Uruguayan forward is on the brink of signing for Al-Hilal in a deal worth an initial £46 million ($61.7M), with potential add-ons of around £10M ($13.4M). This move will boost Liverpool's summer sales revenue to nearly £200M ($268.3M), with more expected as Harvey Elliott, valued at over £40M ($53.7M), is in discussions with RB Leipzig.
Nunez's departure also creates a vacancy in the forward line, which has already been bolstered by the arrival of Hugo Ekitike as part of a near-£300M ($402.5M) spending spree, and leaves the No. 9 shirt up for grabs.
Despite having a £110M ($147.6M) offer turned down last week, Liverpool remain keen on Alexander Isak. The Swedish international has been instructed to train separately from the main squad after expressing a desire to leave Newcastle United.
In line with the lucrative Saudi Pro League, Nunez will rake in a staggering annual salary of £20M ($26.8M). However, this figure falls short of Manchester City's Haaland, who leads the Premier League's rich list with an annual income of approximately £27.3M ($36.6M), translating to weekly earnings of around £525,000 (704.2K).
At 25, the Norwegian scoring sensation inked a substantial long-term contract earlier this year, securing his place at the Etihad until the summer of 2034, when he will be in his mid-30s.
Following closely behind is Nunez's soon-to-be-former Liverpool teammate, Mohamed Salah on £20.3M ($27.2M), with Manchester United's Carlos Casimiro and another Liverpool player, Virgil van Dijk, both earning £18.2M ($24.4M).
Nunez has found the net 40 times in 143 outings for the Reds but has regularly left supporters exasperated with his erratic performances. With the arrival of Ekitike and potential signing of Isak, Nunez's chances in the starting XI would have become increasingly scarce had he remained at Anfield.
His departure comes after Luis Diaz's exit from the club following his £65M ($87.2M) switch to Bayern Munich. The Colombian had been agitating for a transfer since club bosses opted against offering him fresh terms and declined to enter discussions.
Liverpool grudgingly accepted his exit was unavoidable and cashed in.
In a parting message to Liverpool supporters on Instagram, Diaz acknowledged it would have been the "perfect goodbye" were it not for the devastating loss of teammate Diogo Jota in a car accident in Spain last month.
He posted: "It's good to be leaving with the feeling of a duty fulfilled, and, most of all, to be leaving a champion. It would have been the perfect goodbye if we hadn't lost one of ours in such a tragic way.
"As I said, and I repeat, I carry everyone with me in my heart, but one of them in particular: Diogo. I will never forget him. We will never forget him. Thank you for everything. YNWA."
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