Darwin Nunez Leaves Liverpool To Join Al-Hilal On A Three-Year Contract

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Darwin Nunez has officially joined Al-Hilal from Liverpool, signing a three-year deal with the Saudi Arabian club. The Uruguayan forward, who moved to Liverpool for £64 million from Benfica in 2022, is the second high-profile player to join the 19-time Saudi Pro League champions this season. Theo Hernandez also made the switch from AC Milan earlier.

Nunez will be under the guidance of Simone Inzaghi, former Inter coach, who took charge of Al-Hilal in June. Inzaghi's arrival coincided with the team's journey to the Club World Cup quarter-finals. During his time at Liverpool, Nunez scored 40 goals in 143 matches over three seasons and helped secure the Premier League title, EFL Cup, and Community Shield.

Despite contributing to Liverpool's 20th league title with five goals and two assists last season, Nunez's influence waned. Transfer rumours surrounded him as early as January. In his debut season (2022-23), he netted nine goals and provided three assists. The following year, he improved slightly with 11 goals and eight assists in the Premier League.

Nunez's shot conversion rate was a concern during his time at Anfield, standing at just 11.06% in the Premier League. He consistently underperformed against his expected goals (xG) metrics across all three seasons in England. Out of 72 big chances, he missed 55.

During his stint in England's top flight, only Dominic Calvert-Lewin had a larger gap between actual goals (12) and xG (25.65) than Nunez (25 goals from 33.52 xG). Interest from Italy was evident when Napoli made an offer for him earlier this transfer window, which Liverpool declined.

Liverpool is expected to seek new attacking talent following Nunez's departure. They have shown interest in Newcastle's Alexander Isak but reports indicate that Newcastle has informed Isak he will not be leaving.

Liverpool confirmed that Nunez's transfer awaits international clearance. They expressed gratitude for his contributions: "Everybody at the club would like to thank Darwin for his contributions and wish him and his family all the best for the future."