Darwin Núñez's Transfer Drama: Al Diriyah's Bold Move

Darwin Núñez’s Turkish reunion with Mohamed Salah has been dramatically thrown off course, with a late twist from within the Saudi Pro League.

For days, the script looked straightforward. Núñez, left out of Al Hilal’s squad on the final day of their training camp in Austria, was expected to fly to Turkiye and seal a loan move to Trabzonspor. A fresh start, a familiar face. A chance to link up again with Salah, who has already been embraced as a superstar in his new home.

Then the plot changed.

Al Diriyah, another Saudi Pro League side, stepped in and moved aggressively. According to reports, they opened talks with Al Hilal and tabled a proposal for a loan deal of their own. The move has effectively hijacked Trabzonspor’s plans and now looks likely to be Núñez’s next destination.

It would mark another sharp turn in a turbulent few years for the Uruguayan. Liverpool sold Núñez last year for around $62 million (£46 million), three years after prising him from Benfica in a major deal that was supposed to anchor their attack for the long term. Instead, his Anfield chapter closed early and abruptly.

Salah’s story has gone in the opposite direction. When Trabzonspor unveiled the Egyptian forward, the reception bordered on feverish. He walked into Turkiye as the highest-paid player in the country and as the instant centrepiece of a club trying to punch above its weight.

He has already pulled on the shirt. Salah made his debut last weekend, coming off the bench in a 1-1 draw with Kasimpasa. Around him, there is no shortage of recognisable names: former Southampton striker Paul Onuachu leading the line, ex-Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana behind him. It is a team built to make noise, and Núñez was meant to be the next headline act.

Instead, Trabzonspor now watch from the outside as Al Diriyah attempt to close the deal.

Back on Merseyside, Núñez’s departure last year forced Liverpool into a major reshuffle up front. The club moved decisively, bringing in Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike. On paper, it was a bold reset. On the pitch, neither has fully caught fire at Anfield yet.

Isak, signed for around $169 million (£125 million), carries the weight of that fee into a season that already feels pivotal for him. Ekitike’s situation is even more delicate. Injury threatens to sideline him for several more months, leaving Isak as the only fully fit central striker.

That imbalance has not gone unnoticed. European football expert Julian Laurens underlined the issue this week, stressing that Liverpool remain light at centre-forward if Cody Gakpo also departs.

“You’re only left really with Isak as your nine,” he said, before outlining the makeshift options: Federico Chiesa as a converted forward, or even Dominik Szoboszlai or Curtis Jones operating as false nines. None of those, though, is a natural, long-term solution.

Laurens pointed to a possible short-term fix, suggesting a loan move in attack similar to the Ronald Araujo defensive deal Liverpool previously put together. At the same time, he highlighted a deeper structural concern: the midfield.

Under Andoni Iraola, Liverpool’s style is expected to shift again, away from the patterns favoured by Arne Slot. That change demands a different profile of midfielder, and Laurens questioned whether the current group truly fits what Iraola wants.

While Liverpool wrestle with their rebuild and identity, Núñez stands at another crossroads. Trabzonspor offered a reunion with Salah and a new stage in Europe. Al Diriyah offer continuity in Saudi Arabia and a fresh attempt to relaunch his career from within a league still flexing its financial muscle.

One move has been hijacked. The next one could define what kind of striker Núñez becomes from here.