Juventus have taken the first quiet step towards a move for Nunez, testing the water with Al-Hilal as they sketch out a summer rebuild that will be shaped almost entirely by their league finish.
According to Sky Sport, the Turin club have made a preliminary inquiry for the forward, asking for clarity on his situation and potential availability. No bid, no negotiations yet. Just the kind of discreet call that often precedes something more serious.
The numbers around him are heavy. Nunez only arrived in Saudi Arabia from Liverpool last summer in a €53 million deal, signing a contract that runs until June 2028. Any exit now would mean Al-Hilal want a serious fee, and Juventus know it. Before they even think about deepening talks, the Bianconeri are running the sums and measuring the risk.
Champions League qualification will decide everything. Without that revenue, this is the sort of transfer that moves from ambitious to unrealistic in a hurry.
A turbulent year in Riyadh
On paper, Nunez’s first season in the Gulf does not look like a disaster. He started brightly, played regularly in the first half of the campaign and looked part of the project.
Sixteen league appearances, six goals. Across all competitions, 24 games, nine goals and five assists. Respectable, productive, the kind of output that keeps a forward in the conversation.
Then came the twist.
During the winter break, coach Inzaghi made a technical call that stunned many: Nunez was cut from Al-Hilal’s list of eight registered foreign players. One decision, and his domestic season effectively ended. From regular minutes to the stands, with no way back into the league squad until next term.
For a 26-year-old in his supposed prime, that kind of abrupt halt sends shockwaves through a career plan. It also sends a signal to Europe’s scouts and sporting directors: a player with pedigree, suddenly sidelined, potentially available.
Continental stage as a shop window
Nunez is frozen out of the Saudi league, but not out of Al-Hilal’s plans entirely. He remains eligible for continental competition and has used that platform to remind people what he can still do.
In the AFC Champions League Elite, he has made six appearances, scoring three times and adding one assist. Not spectacular, but sharp enough to show his penalty-box instincts are intact.
His next audition is already circled: Al-Hilal face Al-Sadd in the round of 16 on April 13. For the club, it is a step in their continental campaign. For Nunez, it could feel like something else entirely – a showcase, perhaps even a farewell performance before a return to Europe.
If he finishes that tournament strongly, the market will notice. Juventus certainly will.
Juve’s equation: goals and geometry
From Turin’s perspective, the opportunity is obvious. A former Benfica and Liverpool forward, still only 26, with European experience and a point to prove. That profile fits neatly into a club trying to refresh its attack without losing competitiveness.
The problem is not the player. It is the geometry of the table and the arithmetic of the balance sheet.
Juventus sit fifth in Serie A on 57 points, one behind Como in a tight, unforgiving race for the top four with seven games left. Every misplaced pass, every dropped point between now and May will echo into their summer strategy.
Make the Champions League and a move for Nunez becomes plausible: more income, more appeal, more room to manoeuvre on fee and wages. Miss out, and the conversation with Al-Hilal turns from negotiation to fantasy.
For now, Juve watch, calculate and wait. Nunez chases goals in Asia, trying to turn a complicated season into a launchpad rather than a dead end.
One of them will blink first. The league table will decide which.
