Liverpool have sold Darwin Nunez to Saudi Pro-League club Al-Hilal for £46.2m, bringing to an end the striker’s eventful three-year stay at Anfield.
The Premier League champions will now explore the transfer market to see if they can sign another forward after the departures of Luis Diaz and Nunez.
The Uruguay international cost Liverpool an initial £64m that could have risen as high as £85m when he joined from Benfica in 2022.
While Nunez could have become Liverpool’s club-record signing, he only scored seven goals in 47 games last season, when he was often a substitute, and struck 40 times in 143 appearances for the club in all.
He had asked to leave in January, when he also attracted interest from the Saudi league, while he was a target this summer for both Napoli and AC Milan, with the Italian champions making a bid, but neither Serie A club came close to Liverpool’s valuation.
Nunez’s sale means Liverpool have brought in around £190m this summer, with Diaz, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Caoimhin Kelleher, Tyler Morton, Jarell Quansah and Nat Phillips also leaving.
They are considering adding another attacker if they can find one who is attainable, of the talent to start and at what they deem a fair price.
They had a £110m bid for Alexander Isak rejected by Newcastle and are reluctant to make a second offer for the Sweden international.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said the striker, who missed their pre-season tour of Asia with a minor thigh injury and who has not featured in any of their summer friendlies, will sit out his club’s Premier League opener against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Howe said on Saturday that he is unsure whether Isak will stay, but that it is out of his hands, explaining: “He’s contracted to us. He’s our player. The club make the decision on his future. I don’t know what that will be. Of course, I have a preferred outcome. I want the best and strongest squad possible, but also I want players that really want to play for this club.”
