Fleeing the hell of Al-Hilal: Darwin Nunez sets his new destination

Darwin Nunez

The Za'eem striker attracts interest from the two giants of Portuguese football

Darwin Nunez is closing in on an exit from Al-Hilal, and his departure now looks a matter of time. The Uruguayan striker will leave on loan with an option to buy until June 2027.

Sources have revealed that the player, currently with the Al-Hilal squad at their pre-season training camp in Austria, is pushing hard to leave. He has already secured initial approval from the club's management for his loan.

Nunez had first demanded that his contract be torn up. A compromise then emerged: he would give up part of his salary, and Al-Hilal would cover part of his dues for one season in return.

Why is he so determined to go? He wants to return to Europe and join a team competing for titles. His agents offered his services to Barcelona over the past few days, and the Catalan club looked closely at the matter.

Spanish newspaper "Sport" report that Nunez's next destination could be the Portuguese league, with Porto and Benfica both seriously interested. All parties reportedly want the deal done before the Al-Hilal squad returns to Saudi Arabia on 3 August.

Benfica is the option the player favours most. He lived through one of the best periods of his career there after joining from Spain's Almeria, a deal in which the Portuguese club snatched him from Barcelona for 25 million euros. He then shone and moved to Liverpool for a fee that exceeded 75 million euros.

The Premier League proved a different story. The international striker never adapted to English football, and he found no stability in the Saudi league either.

Atalanta and Besiktas both made offers, but he reached no agreement with either. Barcelona's interest, meanwhile, remains merely a proposal that has yet to turn into an official move.