Darwin Núñez Eyes Trabzonspor Move After Al-Hilal Stint

Darwin Núñez is on the move again. One year after swapping Anfield for Al-Hilal in a £46m deal, the Uruguayan striker is now closing in on a switch to Trabzonspor – and a reunion with Mohamed Salah.

The move would cap a whirlwind 12 months for Núñez and underline just how quickly the landscape around him has shifted. Liverpool’s decision to cash in on the forward formed part of a clear-out that generated more than £250m, money that underpinned a record £455m recruitment drive and a new-look squad featuring the likes of Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong.

Núñez never quite escaped the debate at Anfield. He left Merseyside last summer with an emotional farewell, determined to reset his career after two seasons that mixed explosive moments with scrutiny and doubt. On paper, his numbers were far from disastrous: 143 appearances, 40 goals, 26 assists. On the terraces and online, the conversation was rarely that simple.

At Al-Hilal, the cycle repeated in brutal fashion. The arrival of Karim Benzema pushed Núñez down the pecking order and left him once again classed as expendable. Now, instead of becoming the long-term spearhead in Saudi Arabia, he stands on the brink of another fresh start, this time in Turkey.

Salah has already made that jump. The Egyptian ended his glittering nine-year spell at Liverpool this summer and signed a two-year deal with Trabzonspor last week. If Núñez follows, the club will suddenly boast a frontline built on familiar Anfield storylines, but with very different stakes.

Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu reports that Trabzonspor have reached an agreement with Núñez and are in talks with Al-Hilal to finalise the deal. Other reports point towards a loan rather than a permanent transfer, a detail that could shape the next phase of his career.

A temporary move would hand Núñez something priceless: time and space to rediscover his edge. A strong campaign in the Super Lig could restore his confidence, lift his valuation and drag him back into the conversation for major European clubs if Al-Hilal decide to cash in down the line.

It is not the first route explored. Talks were opened last month with MLS side Atlanta, but that possibility fizzled out before it could develop into anything concrete. Turkey now stands as his clearest path out of a stalled situation.

What has never been in doubt, at least among those who played with him, is his raw talent. Atletico Madrid defender Álex Grimaldo, who shared a dressing room with Núñez at Benfica, has long struggled to understand the criticism that followed the striker in England.

“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.”

Now the pressure shifts. In Trabzon, Núñez would not only be fighting for his reputation but also linking up again with a player whose standards defined an era at Liverpool. For a striker once tipped to terrorise Premier League defences for years, Turkey may become the stage where he proves whether that prediction was just premature – or simply misplaced.