Darwin Núñez Nears Return to Portugal from Al Hilal
Darwin Núñez is on the move again. This time, the route looks familiar.
The Uruguayan striker is closing in on a departure from Al Hilal, with the Saudi club prepared to let him leave on loan with an option to buy running until June 2027. He is currently with the squad at their pre-season camp in Austria, but his future lies elsewhere. Núñez has been pushing hard for a way out, and he now has the green light to go under the proposed terms.
For Al Hilal, it is a quick turn in a story that never really settled. For Núñez, it is a chance to go back to a league where he once looked unstoppable.
Portugal calling again
According to Saudi outlet Arriyadiyah, Porto and Benfica have emerged as the leading candidates to take Núñez back to the Portuguese league. Talks are active, the framework is clear, and the clock is ticking: all sides want the deal wrapped up before Al Hilal return to Saudi Arabia on 3 August.
Núñez initially tried to rip up his contract altogether, but that path closed. Instead, the parties have settled on a loan structure. To make it work, the 25-year-old is ready to give up part of his salary, while Al Hilal will continue to cover a significant portion of his wages for one season.
It is a compromise that underlines his determination to leave. He wants game time, a platform, and a familiar environment. Portugal offers all three.
Benfica memories, Porto temptation
Núñez’s best football came in Portugal. After arriving at Benfica from Almería for €25 million — a fee that beat competition from Barcelona at the time — he exploded in Lisbon. Goals, chaos, constant running. Benfica turned that gamble into a jackpot, selling him to Liverpool for more than €75 million.
That version of Núñez is what Porto and Benfica are now weighing up. Benfica know exactly what he can do in their colours. Porto, on the other hand, see a chance to land a proven league destroyer who already understands the terrain.
The decision will not just be financial. It will be emotional, sporting, and sharp-edged. Returning to Benfica would be a reunion with a fanbase that once adored him. Choosing Porto would mean crossing to a fierce rival and writing a very different chapter in his Portuguese story.
Barcelona look elsewhere
Núñez’s situation did not go unnoticed in Europe. Barcelona had him on their radar as a lower-cost alternative to Julian Álvarez, and his representatives even offered him to the Catalan club. The proposal landed on the table, was studied, and then quietly parked. No move followed.
Barcelona have instead kept their focus on Álvarez, even as they begin to accept that prising the Argentine away may prove impossible in this window. Núñez, for now, will not be the one leading the line at Montjuïc.
Interest arrived from further afield too. Atlanta United in MLS and Besiktas both made approaches, but neither club could turn conversations into an agreement. Portugal, once again, feels like the natural fit.
Searching for himself again
Since leaving Benfica, Núñez’s career has been a blur of expectation and frustration. At Liverpool, he never fully established himself as the main reference in attack, despite flashes of the raw, relentless forward who terrorised defences in Portugal. The move to Saudi Arabia with Al Hilal has not brought stability either. He has struggled to settle, on and off the pitch.
That is why the prospect of returning to a league he knows, and where he thrived, carries such weight. It is not just a transfer. It is an attempt to reconnect with the version of himself that once convinced Liverpool to spend big and made Europe take notice.
Negotiations continue, details are being ironed out, and the deadline of 3 August looms. Soon enough, Núñez will know whether he is walking back into the Estádio da Luz, stepping into the Dragão, or forced to wait yet again for the reset his career so clearly needs.
