Trabzonspor Targets Darwin Núñez Amid Al-Hilal Tensions

Trabzonspor have taken a bold step into the summer market, reaching an agreement with Darwin Núñez over personal terms, according to renowned Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu. The real battle now lies elsewhere – with Al-Hilal, who hold the Uruguayan’s contract until 2028 and paid heavily to get him.

The Saudi club spent 53 million euros to prise Núñez from Liverpool last year. That fee, his long contract and their own valuation mean they are not expected to entertain any bargain offers. Sabuncuoglu’s report does not specify what Al-Hilal are demanding, but nobody around the deal expects it to be cheap.

Salary cut on the table

For Núñez, a move to Trabzonspor would not just be a change of league. It would mean a significant financial sacrifice.

The 27-year-old is said to earn around 15 million euros net per year at Al-Hilal. Trabzonspor, who finished third in the last Süper Lig campaign, can reportedly stretch to a maximum of eight million euros annually. If the deal happens, it happens with a pay cut.

Trabzonspor are understood to prefer a loan with a purchase option, a structure that would ease the immediate financial hit. Whether Al-Hilal will sign off on that kind of formula is completely unclear at this stage.

Frozen out after Benzema arrival

Right now, Al-Hilal are open to selling. That stance has roots in a ruthless decision taken earlier this year.

At the start of February, Núñez was abruptly frozen out following the arrival of Karim Benzema. Because of the strict foreign-player limit in the Saudi Pro League, Al-Hilal had to remove one foreign player from their domestic squad. They chose Núñez.

From there, his season simply stopped. He made only two further appearances in the AFC Champions League up to mid-February and has now gone around half a year without a competitive game. Before being sidelined, he had delivered nine goals and five assists in 24 matches for Al-Hilal – numbers that underline why European clubs still circle when his name appears.

Salah and Núñez, reunited in claret and blue?

The potential reunion is what really fires the imagination. In Trabzon, Núñez would walk back into a dressing room that already contains a familiar face and a global star.

Mohamed Salah, who left Liverpool on a free transfer and arrived at Trabzonspor to huge fanfare, is already in place on the Black Sea coast. Between 2022 and 2025, Salah and Núñez formed part of Liverpool’s attack, sharing a frontline that mixed chaos, pace and goals.

Now there is a real chance of that partnership being reborn in the Süper Lig, this time in claret and blue rather than red.

Chasing Istanbul’s giants

With Salah signed and Núñez targeted, Trabzonspor are not hiding their ambition. The traditional club from north-eastern Turkey want to crash the Istanbul monopoly, take on Galatasaray and the other heavyweights, and push for a first league title since 2022.

To do that, they need firepower. Salah brings pedigree and aura. Núñez, if the deal goes through, would add raw energy, depth in behind and a direct threat that can tilt tight games.

A place in transfer history on the line

There is another layer to this story: the numbers behind Núñez’s career.

To date, a total of 184 million euros has been spent on his transfers. If the fee for this move reaches the level many expect, Núñez would become only the ninth footballer in history to break the 200-million-euro mark in cumulative transfer fees. He would need at least 16 million euros more to cross that line.

For now, Trabzonspor wait, Núñez waits, and Al-Hilal hold the key. Will the next chapter of his career be written on the Black Sea, sprinting onto Salah’s passes with a title race on the line?