Darwin Núñez’s Liverpool Return Fades as AC Milan Eyes Deal

Darwin Núñez’s Liverpool return is fading fast. The romance of a second act at Anfield, once an easy headline, now looks like a door quietly closing.

The Uruguayan striker, currently with his country at the FIFA World Cup, left Liverpool only last summer, swapping Merseyside for the money and mystery of Al-Hilal. The numbers were huge: an initial £46 million fee, a contract worth around £400,000 per week, and the No 9 shirt in a league determined to make a statement.

It has not gone to plan.

From marquee arrival to the margins

Núñez’s time in Saudi Arabia has unravelled at alarming speed. Since February, his minutes have dried up. The goals, the rhythm, the confidence that once made him Liverpool’s record signing have all stalled.

The turning point came when Al-Hilal completed a deal for Karim Benzema. One of the modern greats walked through the door and Núñez was pushed out of it, de-listed from the domestic squad and shunted to the periphery. For a 27-year-old in what should be his peak years, that kind of exile bites deep.

The impact has not gone unnoticed back home.

Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa is reported to have held reservations about Núñez for some time now, believing the forward has “physically deteriorated” during his long spell without serious game time. Coming from a manager famed for his demands on fitness and intensity, that is a brutal assessment.

Liverpool step back as Milan circle

With Al-Hilal now said to be willing to tear up Núñez’s lucrative contract and facilitate a return to Europe – either for free or at a heavily reduced fee – the obvious question emerged: would Liverpool bring him back?

Right now, the answer appears to be no.

Reports indicate the outgoing Premier League champions are not convinced about taking that gamble again. The concerns are clear enough: form, fitness, wages, and the memory of a first spell that never quite matched the hype.

So the stage opens for a new protagonist.

Rúben Amorim’s AC Milan have moved into view, eyeing a deal that could reshape both the player’s career and the club’s attack. According to Milan-based reports, the Rossoneri have already made contact with several World Cup players – Núñez among them.

The attraction is obvious. A powerful, mobile striker with European pedigree, available at a knockdown price, is exactly the kind of opportunity that tempts a smart sporting director. But there is a catch.

The numbers game

Núñez’s current salary, quoted at around €2 million per month, sits miles beyond Milan’s usual structure. That figure simply does not fit into the wage architecture at San Siro.

So the Italian club are exploring two routes.

“One possible solution,” as outlined in local reporting, is a permanent transfer for a fee significantly below what Liverpool once paid. That discount would give Milan room to shape a new salary package that fits their internal cap – especially if Rafael Leão, currently occupying the club’s biggest wage slot, were to leave.

The other path is a loan deal, with Al-Hilal covering a chunk of Núñez’s salary. On paper, it looks elegant. In reality, it is viewed as “highly unlikely.” Saudi clubs have not exactly made a habit of subsidising European revivals.

A career at a crossroads

Núñez has been here before, at least in theory. Milan tracked him during his Liverpool days, while he is also said to regret missing out on a move to Serie A with Napoli last summer. Those sliding-door moments now loom large.

This time, the stakes feel different. He is no longer the rising star commanding record fees and record wages. He is the forward trying to prove he has not slipped beyond the edge of Europe’s elite.

Liverpool, it seems, will watch from a distance. Milan may yet step in. The question now is simple: who is willing to bet that Darwin Núñez can still be the striker everyone once thought he would become?