Darwin Nunez handed immediate blow after leaving Liverpool for Al-Hilal as 'ban issued'
Darwin Nunez is on the verge of ending his career at Liverpool but will suffer a blow as soon as he lands in Saudi Arabia.
The Liverpool forward is closing in on an Anfield exit after a polarising chapter in his footballing career.
Nunez impressed then-manager Jurgen Klopp when Liverpool faced Benfica in the Champions League and a potential club-record move for the Uruguayan was authorised in the summer of 2023.
Nunez’s time on Merseyside was filled with highs and lows but the inconsistency in front of goal ultimately cost him the chance to lead the line in Arne Slot’s new-look attack.
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The 26-year-old fell out of favour and didn’t start a game under Slot after the 3-1 win against Southampton in March.
Liverpool have agreed a £46million deal with Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal with the Uruguay international travelling to Germany to put the final touches on the move to Simone Inzaghi’s side.
Nunez will look to get his career back on track in the Kingdom but his move could be met with an immediate blow before he’s even kicked a ball.
The striker has seen his chances of silverware in a blue shirt decreased after Al-Hilal were banned from competing in the 2026/27 Saudi Super Cup as per FirstPost.
Al-Hilal are the reigning Saudi Pro League champions but will face sanctions after withdrawing from this season’s Super Cup competition.
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation have banned the club from competing next year and imposed a fine of 500,000 Saudi Riyals (£99k). The decision is subject to appeal.
Al-Ahli will replace the champions in the four-team competition which includes Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad and Al-Qadsiah which will be played in Hong Kong.
Al-Hilal’s decision to withdraw from the tournament is believed to be down to their participation in this summer’s Club World Cup tournament in the United States where they exited at the quarter-final stage.
Nunez will join ex-Premier League stars such as Ruben Neves and Joao Cancelo in Saudi Arabia and Liverpool boss Slot broke his silence on the potential exit ahead of the Community Shield.
"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 are 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."
Topics: Darwin Nunez, Liverpool, Saudi Pro League, Transfer News, Football, Arne Slot
Marcus Banks