Life in Saudi Arabia was supposed to be a fresh start for Darwin Nunez. Instead, it has become one of the more uncomfortable chapters of the Uruguayan’s career – and Juventus are watching very closely.
After leaving Liverpool last summer for a fee of around £46 million, Nunez arrived at Al-Hilal with plenty to prove. He started brightly enough, chipping in with goals and carrying the kind of physical energy that had made him both fascinating and frustrating at Anfield. But everything changed in January when Al-Hilal moved to sign Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad.
He was dropped from the domestic squad entirely for the second half of the season, restricted to AFC Champions League appearances only in a humiliating situation for a player of his age and ambition.
It is precisely this turbulent backdrop that has caught Juventus’s attention.
According to Sky Sport in Italy, the Turin club have made an initial enquiry – or “sondaggio” – about Nunez’s availability, as sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli and manager Spalletti look to bolster their attack ahead of next season. With Dusan Vlahovic’s contract situation still unresolved, Juve need options, and a hungry, unsettled Nunez at 26 years old fits the profile they are looking for.
The stakes go beyond club football too.
Uruguayan outlet El Observador has raised serious concerns about Nunez’s lack of consistent playing time and what it could mean for his World Cup campaign this summer.
With the tournament just months away, sitting on the bench in Riyadh week after week is far from ideal preparation. A move to a competitive European club, one playing Champions League football, could be exactly the lifeline he needs to kick start his faltering career since the switch to Saudi Arabia.
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