Dropped at Saudi club! Strong rumors say two Premier League giants are eyeing a return of Darwin Nunez, the former Liverpool striker, to England.
On 23 Feb 2026 GMT+7, Darwin Nunez, the Uruguayan international striker, is likely to return to the Premier League this summer, despite having left Liverpool to join Al-Hilal for £46 million last year.
Although his first season statistics in Saudi Arabia look decent—9 goals and 5 assists in 24 matches across all competitions—his time in the Middle East has not been smooth. The arrival of Karim Benzema filled the foreign player quota, leaving Nunez unable to register for either league or cup matches.
TEAMtalk reported that Nunez is now considering his options after being dropped from the team. Several European clubs have begun early approaches ahead of the next transfer window. His agent has held talks with multiple English clubs, with reports indicating that Spurs and Newcastle are interested in signing him.
Additionally, Atletico Madrid and Juventus have long been monitoring the situation of this striker.
However, a major obstacle is his huge weekly wage of around £400,000 at Al-Hilal, despite currently not playing in official matches. Reports further indicate that Nunez is willing to take a significant pay cut if he can move to a suitable club before the 2026/27 season.
Newcastle is currently struggling with sharpness in attack, despite investing heavily in reinforcements following the departure of Alexander Isak to Liverpool for £125 million.
Meanwhile, Spurs are at risk of relegation, sitting 16th in the Premier League table, just 5 points above the drop zone after a heavy 1-4 defeat in the North London derby.
As for Liverpool, although Hugo Ekitike has impressed with 15 goals and 4 assists in his first season at Anfield, Isak’s performance has not met expectations, scoring only 3 goals and 1 assist before suffering a severe injury in December that required surgery. He is expected to return to play by April at the earliest.
Currently, the Reds are 6th in the Premier League with 45 points, still fighting hard to secure a spot in the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League.