Darwin Núñez Set for Trabzonspor Move: Reunion with Mohamed Salah

Darwin Núñez is on the move again. One year after a £46m switch to Al-Hilal, the former Liverpool striker is edging towards Trabzonspor – and a reunion with Mohamed Salah.

The Uruguayan’s departure from Anfield last summer was part of a ruthless reset. Liverpool banked more than £250m by clearing out players judged expendable, money that underpinned a record £455m splurge on the next iteration of the squad. Big names arrived: Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong. Núñez, once billed as a centrepiece of the future, became collateral in the overhaul.

He did not slip away quietly. His farewell message to Liverpool fans carried the tone of a player who knew he had unfinished business in England but needed a clean break. A year on, that fresh start in Saudi Arabia has already run dry.

At Al-Hilal, the landscape changed quickly. The arrival of Karim Benzema pushed Núñez down the pecking order and left him labelled surplus to requirements for the second time in as many summers. Now, with Salah having signed a two-year deal at Trabzonspor last week to end his glittering nine-year spell at Anfield, the two could be about to share a dressing room again – this time in Turkey.

Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu reports that Trabzonspor have reached an agreement with Núñez and are in talks with Al-Hilal to thrash out the terms. Other outlets claim the deal is likely to be a loan rather than a permanent transfer.

That suits all parties. A temporary switch hands Núñez a stage to recover rhythm and confidence, while a strong season in the Süper Lig could bump up his market value and drag him back into the sights of major European clubs if Al-Hilal decide to cash in down the line.

This is not the first escape route explored. Talks were opened with MLS side Atlanta United last month, but the discussions fizzled out before reaching an advanced stage. Turkey now looks like the live option.

Núñez’s Liverpool record still splits opinion. On paper, it holds up: 143 appearances, 40 goals, 26 assists. Output that many forwards would happily claim. Yet he often walked out at Anfield knowing sections of the fanbase had already made up their minds about him.

That never sat right with those who knew him best. Atlético Madrid defender Álex Grimaldo, who shared a dressing room with Núñez at Benfica, has previously voiced his confusion at the level of scrutiny the striker faced in England.

“I thought that when he went to Liverpool, he was perfect for the Premier League, the type of player, and for Liverpool above all,” Grimaldo told After de Post United, via El Universo. “He was a very fast, very powerful striker, with a lot of goals, a good shot.

“I think he’s scored a lot of goals, he’s played… I just don’t understand the criticism. It always happens that when there’s a very high price, they demand double or triple, and it’s not the player’s fault, because the player has nothing to do with the price. It’s between clubs.

“So, in the end, you go to a team like Liverpool, there’s pressure, they demand a lot of you. There's always criticism, but I think he’s scored a lot of goals and assists for Liverpool anyway.”

Now the price tag that once weighed on him could work in his favour. A loan to Trabzonspor would strip away the transfer-fee narrative and leave Núñez judged on something far simpler: what he does on the pitch, possibly feeding off the service of Salah once more.

For a striker still only in his mid‑20s, this next move might decide whether he is remembered as a nearly man of the Premier League era or a late bloomer who fought his way back into Europe’s elite.