Al Hilal have decided to allow Darwin Nunez to leave on loan after failing to receive a suitable offer for the Uruguay striker on a permanent deal, according to several Saudi media reports.
The Saudi Pro League club had hoped to find a buyer for Nunez after exploring a number of possible exit routes with representatives of the player. However, with August now under way and no acceptable proposal forthcoming, Al Hilal are instead searching for a club willing to take him temporarily.
The club’s priority is to secure a loan agreement that would see the new side cover as much as possible of Nunez’s substantial salary.
According to Spanish newspaper Sport, Al Hilal officials are expected to travel to Turkey this week to begin negotiations with one of the country’s leading clubs. Nunez also continues to attract interest from clubs in the Premier League and Portugal, although no move has yet been completed.
The striker’s name has also been put forward to Barcelona. The Catalan club have not taken any practical steps towards signing Nunez, despite maintaining contact with Al Hilal over a possible deal for Joao Cancelo.
Nunez has been involved in Al Hilal’s training camp in Austria, but he is not considered part of the club’s long-term plans. The same applies to Karim Benzema, with the Saudi club’s management also understood not to want the French striker to remain.
Benzema, however, is determined to stay in Saudi Arabia and does not want to leave. Nunez’s position is different. He has not successfully adapted to life in the country and Al Hilal would prefer him to return to Europe, where they believe he can regain his form and rebuild his market value before a potential permanent sale in a year’s time.
Al Hilal signed Nunez from Liverpool for 55m euros. Liverpool had previously paid 85m euros to recruit him from Benfica, although his spell in the Premier League was not consistently successful.
The proposed loan would therefore give Al Hilal an opportunity to move the player back into European football while protecting the possibility of recovering more of their investment later. The club’s immediate challenge is to find a destination capable of taking on a significant proportion of his wages.
Nunez was previously close to joining Barcelona while he was playing for Almeria. At that stage, Barcelona submitted a low offer and came close to completing the transfer, but Benfica ultimately secured his signature for 25m euros.
With Al Hilal now focusing on a temporary transfer, the coming negotiations in Turkey and continued interest from clubs in England and Portugal could determine where the Uruguay international plays next. No permanent offer has yet persuaded the Saudi club to change course.
