Darwin Núñez Set for Trabzonspor Move: Reunion with Mohamed Salah
Darwin Núñez is on the move again. Just a year after swapping Liverpool for Al-Hilal in a £46m deal, the Uruguayan striker is closing in on a fresh start in Turkey with Trabzonspor – and a reunion with Mohamed Salah.
From Anfield hope to Saudi reshuffle
Núñez arrived at Liverpool as a statement signing, billed as the next great Anfield centre-forward. He left last summer in a window that turned into a clear-out. Liverpool generated more than £250m by offloading players deemed expendable, money that helped fuel a record £455m recruitment drive.
That spree brought in headline names such as Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong. Núñez, though, was heading the other way, signing off with an emotional farewell as his time on Merseyside ended earlier than many expected.
His numbers were not disastrous. Far from it. Across 143 appearances for Liverpool, he scored 40 goals and laid on 26 assists. Yet he never fully escaped the debate around his finishing, his decision-making, his fit. The scrutiny never really stopped.
Squeezed out at Al-Hilal
Al-Hilal looked like a reset. A big fee, a leading role, a new league. Then came Karim Benzema.
Once the Frenchman arrived, Núñez slipped down the pecking order and quickly became surplus to requirements again. Now, with Trabzonspor circling, the 25-year-old appears set for another change of scenery and a familiar face in the dressing room.
Salah, who ended his glittering nine-year spell at Anfield this summer, signed a two-year deal with the Turkish club last week. The prospect of the former Liverpool duo linking up again, this time in the Super Lig, is suddenly very real.
Deal taking shape
Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu reports that Trabzonspor have reached an agreement with Núñez and are now negotiating with Al-Hilal to finalise the move. Other reports indicate the deal is likely to be a loan.
A temporary switch would suit all parties. Núñez would get the regular minutes he needs to rediscover his edge. Trabzonspor would land a high-profile forward without committing to a massive permanent fee. Al-Hilal would preserve his value and, if he explodes in Turkey, potentially return to the table with stronger offers from Europe.
Talks had previously opened with MLS side Atlanta last month, but that trail went cold before it ever really heated up. Turkey now looks like the live option.
A striker still under the microscope
For all the noise around him, Núñez’s output at Liverpool was far from disastrous. Atletico Madrid defender Álex Grimaldo, who played alongside him at Benfica, has never quite understood the backlash.
"I thought that when he went to Liverpool, he was perfect for the Premier League, the type of player, and for Liverpool above all," Grimaldo told After de Post United, via El Universo. "He was a very fast, very powerful striker, with a lot of goals, a good shot.
"I think he’s scored a lot of goals, he’s played… I just don’t understand the criticism. It always happens that when there’s a very high price, they demand double or triple, and it’s not the player’s fault, because the player has nothing to do with the price. It’s between clubs.
"So, in the end, you go to a team like Liverpool, there’s pressure, they demand a lot of you. There's always criticism, but I think he’s scored a lot of goals and assists for Liverpool anyway."
The price tag followed him from Benfica to Liverpool and then on to Al-Hilal. The expectations followed too. In Turkey, the spotlight will still be there, yet it will shine differently.
If the loan goes through, Núñez will walk into a club that has just landed Salah, a fanbase that craves a title push, and a league that offers him the space to run, to bully defenders, to become the forward many still believe he can be.
The next question is simple and sharp: does he finally turn potential into dominance, or does another stop get added to an already winding journey?
