Darwin Núñez Eyes Loan Move Back to Portugal
Darwin Núñez is edging towards the exit at Al Hilal, and all roads now point back to Portugal.
The Uruguayan striker is expected to leave the Saudi club on loan, with an option to buy that would run until June 2027. He is currently with Al Hilal at their pre-season camp in Austria, but has been pushing hard for a move and has now received the green light to go under the proposed terms.
For Núñez, this is a reset. For Al Hilal, it is a compromise.
Portugal calls again
According to Saudi outlet Arriyadiyah, Porto and Benfica have moved to the front of the queue, with a return to the Portuguese league now the most likely outcome. Talks are active, and all sides want the deal wrapped up before Al Hilal fly back to Saudi Arabia on 3 August.
Initially, Núñez tried to rip up his contract altogether. That idea has been shelved. Instead, the solution on the table is a loan: Al Hilal retain control of his future, the buying club gains flexibility, and the player finally gets a route out.
To make it happen, Núñez is ready to sacrifice part of his salary, while Al Hilal will continue to pay a portion of his wages for one season. It is a clear signal of how badly he wants this move.
Benfica memories, Porto temptation
A return to Benfica would be loaded with history. Núñez produced the best football of his career in Lisbon after arriving from Almería, with the Portuguese club beating Barcelona to his signature in a €25 million deal that turned into a spectacular piece of business.
His explosive spell at Benfica propelled him to Liverpool for more than €75 million, one of the biggest transfers in the club’s history. That version of Núñez – raw, relentless, devastating in space – is what Portuguese fans remember.
Porto’s interest adds an intriguing twist. Benfica know exactly what he can do; Porto know exactly what it would mean to take him back to Portugal in their colours instead. For Núñez, either shirt would offer familiarity, rhythm, and a league that once suited him perfectly.
Barcelona step aside
At one stage, Núñez briefly appeared on Barcelona’s radar. With the Catalan club exploring a lower-cost alternative to Julian Álvarez, his representatives offered him to Barça, and the proposal was studied.
Nothing came of it.
Barcelona have not advanced the talks and remain locked on Álvarez as their priority target, even as they start to accept that a deal for the Argentine might never materialise. Núñez, for now, is not part of their plans.
Atlanta United and Besiktas also showed interest and made approaches, but neither club managed to reach an agreement that satisfied all parties. The pull of Portugal, and the structure of the current deal, has proved stronger.
A career at a crossroads
Since leaving Benfica, Núñez’s path has been uneven. He struggled to fully impose himself in the Premier League at Liverpool, then failed to settle in Saudi Arabia with Al Hilal. The move to the Gulf, sold as a fresh chapter, never truly caught fire.
A return to Portugal offers something different: familiarity, a tactical environment he understands, and a stage where he has already shown he can dominate. It is not a step back so much as a chance to reconnect with the version of himself that once terrorised defences across the Primeira Liga.
Negotiations now race against the clock. If Porto or Benfica can close the deal before 3 August, Núñez will walk back into a league that remembers his best days. The question is simple: can he become that player again, or has Portuguese football already seen the peak of Darwin Núñez?
