Trabzonspor Targets Darwin Núñez Reunion with Salah
Trabzonspor have taken a bold step into the summer market, reaching an agreement with Darwin Núñez over personal terms, according to renowned Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu.
Now comes the hard part: convincing Al-Hilal.
A complicated deal with Al-Hilal
Al-Hilal paid Liverpool around 53 million euros for Núñez just last year and tied the Uruguayan down until 2028. They are under no pressure to sell on the cheap, and Sabuncuoglu’s report does not disclose the size of their demands.
What is clear: this will not be a bargain.
The Saudi club are said to be completely open to a sale after freezing Núñez out of their domestic plans in February, when Karim Benzema arrived and the strict foreign-player quota in the Saudi Pro League forced a decision. Núñez was the one sacrificed.
He has barely been seen since. Two appearances in the AFC Champions League up to mid-February, then nothing. Half a year without a competitive match.
Before the abrupt halt, his numbers were respectable: nine goals and five assists in 24 games for Al-Hilal.
Wage cut for a title chase
For the move to Trabzonspor to happen, Núñez would have to take a significant pay cut.
At Al-Hilal, he is believed to earn around 15 million euros net per year. Trabzonspor, who finished third in the most recent Süper Lig season, are reportedly only able to go as high as eight million euros annually.
That gap underlines the scale of the project Trabzonspor are trying to sell him: fewer zeros, more football.
The Black Sea club are said to prefer a loan deal with an option to buy. Whether Al-Hilal will accept a structure like that is an open question, especially given the size of their initial outlay and the length of his contract.
Salah and Núñez, together again?
The romantic angle writes itself.
Between 2022 and 2025, Núñez shared a forward line with Mohamed Salah at Liverpool. Now Salah has arrived in Trabzon on a free transfer, greeted with fanfare after leaving Anfield, and the prospect of reuniting the pair is driving excitement in north-eastern Turkey.
For a club of Trabzonspor’s tradition, the vision is clear: arm themselves with Salah, possibly Núñez, and go after the Istanbul giants, led by serial champions Galatasaray. Their last league title came in 2022. They want that feeling back.
If they manage to prise Núñez out of Saudi Arabia and the fee climbs to the expected level, the transfer would carry another layer of significance. The Uruguayan has already generated 184 million euros in transfer fees across his career. He needs at least 16 million euros more to break the 200-million-euro barrier and join an elite group of only eight players in football history to have reached that mark.
For now, Trabzonspor wait, Al-Hilal negotiate, and Núñez sits in limbo — a 27-year-old striker, frozen out in Riyadh, one big move away from both a revival and a place in the game’s most expensive club.
