Darwin Nunez Faces Uncertain Future as AC Milan Eyes Move
Liverpool are set to turn their backs on Darwin Nunez, just two years after smashing their transfer record to bring him to Anfield – and AC Milan are moving quickly to pounce.
The Uruguay striker, currently with his country at the FIFA World Cup, has endured a brutal year since leaving Liverpool for Al-Hilal last summer. The move looked lucrative, not lasting. An initial £46 million fee, a contract worth around £400,000 per week, the No 9 shirt, the promise of being the focal point of a project in Saudi Arabia.
Instead, his season stalled. Then it stopped.
Benzema arrival pushes Nunez to the fringes
Once Al-Hilal completed a deal for Karim Benzema, Nunez’s role shrank to almost nothing. He was de-listed from the domestic squad and has barely featured since February. For a 27-year-old centre-forward in his supposed prime, it has been a punishing spell on the sidelines.
That lack of football has not gone unnoticed back home. Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa is reported to have held concerns over Nunez’s condition, believing the forward has “physically deteriorated” during his period of inactivity. For a manager who builds everything on intensity and physical edge, that is a damning assessment.
Al-Hilal, aware the marriage is not working, are now said to be ready to rip up the contract and facilitate a return to Europe. A player who cost £46 million could be available for free or at a heavily reduced fee.
Yet Liverpool, the club who once built an attacking future around him, are not expected to be the ones offering a way back.
Liverpool cool on reunion as Milan circle
The outgoing Premier League champions have been linked with a romantic reunion, but recent reports suggest the appetite at Anfield is limited. The risk of gambling again on a player whose form and fitness have dipped appears too great.
That hesitation has opened the door for a different European giant. Ruben Amorim’s AC Milan are now exploring a move, sensing an opportunity in a market distorted by Saudi money and short careers gone wrong.
“There have already been some contacts with players attending the World Cup, one of whom is Darwin Nunez,” a report from Milan Vibes states, underlining that the Rossoneri are not just monitoring the situation from afar.
The problem is the salary. Nunez’s current earnings, estimated at around €2 million per month, sit miles beyond Milan’s wage structure. For a club that has worked hard to rebuild its finances and impose strict internal caps, that figure is unsustainable.
Two possible paths for a rescue deal
According to the same report, Milan see only two realistic frameworks.
- One is a permanent transfer at a fee significantly below what Al-Hilal paid Liverpool. That kind of discount would hand Milan control over the wage offer and allow them to bring Nunez into line with their existing salary hierarchy. It could become even more manageable if Rafael Leao, currently occupying the club’s top salary bracket, were to leave.
- The other option on paper is a loan, with Al-Hilal continuing to pay a substantial portion of Nunez’s wages. That scenario, however, is described as “highly unlikely”, given the Saudi club’s willingness to simply cut ties and move on.
For Milan, the attraction is obvious. Nunez is 27, battle-tested in Europe, and once coveted by half the continent. His blend of power, movement and aggression once persuaded Liverpool to make him their record signing. If those qualities can be restored, the upside is enormous.
A career at a crossroads
Nunez has been here before with Italian suitors. During his Liverpool days, Milan tracked him closely, and he is also reported to regret missing out on a move to Serie A with Napoli last summer.
Now the stakes are higher. This is no longer about choosing the best project or the biggest contract. It is about salvaging a career that has drifted off course in the Middle East, about proving that Bielsa’s concerns are a challenge to answer, not a verdict to accept.
Liverpool look ready to walk away. Milan, with all their history of reviving wayward talents, are edging closer.
The next move will say a lot about what Darwin Nunez wants his prime years to look like – and who really believes they can still unlock the striker Liverpool once thought would define their future.
