Liverpool and Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Hilal have reached a full agreement for the transfer of Darwin Nunez with all parties benefitting in equal measure.
Nunez is the real winner as the Uruguayan is set to receive the massive salary bump he joked about in an interview in February and will even earn more than Harry Kane does at Bayern Munich.
In a collab with Pro Direct Soccer, Nunez and Luis Diaz were talking about their car collections and Nunez joked he needed more money to buy more cars.
He then leaned in and joked to the interviewer: “Saudi. Come on, Saudi.”
Little did he know the mic picked it up and it went viral on social media.
It came shortly after Liverpool had rejected a bid of around £60m (€70m) for Nunez in the January transfer window with the Reds telling Al Nassr at the time they needed him for their eventually triumphant Premier League title charge.
Liverpool will receive £46m (€53m) from Al-Hilal for Nunez – a decent compromise considering his failure to perform as expected since his move from Benfica to Anfield in 2022.
Now the 26-year-old has got his wish for a pay rise, Liverpool have made space for Hugo Ekitike – with Alexander Isak potentially on the way too – and Al Hilal have their Premier League superstar to lead their attack.
Darwin Nunez agrees Al-Hilal contract worth £20.8million per year
After winning the Premier League with the Reds, Nunez is now heading to the Saudi Pro League and the move is going to make him one of the highest-paid players in the world.
Nunez has agreed personal terms on a contract worth around £400,000 per week or the equivalent of £20.8m per year.
Nunez has agreed personal terms on a deal worth in the region of £400,000-a-weekk. Is expected to say his goodbyes at #LFC training ground tomorrow as per my colleague @JacobsBen https://t.co/CMATN0x4tm
— Alex Crook ??? (@alex_crook) August 6, 2025
At Liverpool, Nunez was earning an already impressive wage, earning £140,000 per week or £7.2m per year. Over the three years he spent at Anfield, he would have earned around £21.8m.
Essentially, Nunez has almost tripled his income and is moving to a league that, at 26, will help him restore the confidence he has lost and still leave enough years in his career to consider a return to Europe or South America – maybe even MLS.
How Darwin Nunez’s £400k/week Al-Hilal contract compares to football’s highest paid superstars
The top ten highest-paid players in the world earn an estimated combined total of £591.7m with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi obviously leading the way even at the point of near-retirement.
Mohamed Salah officially entered this list with this contract extension with Liverpool last season taking his income to £480,000 per week while Virgil van Dijk is an honourable mention at £400,000/week.
Darwin Nunez has managed to find his way into one of the most lucrative contracts in football and it may be a reward for withstanding three years of intense criticism bordering on abuse at times.
Here is how he compares to football’s most highly paid players…
The top 10 highest paid footballers in the world based on reports
These figures are based on research on wages and salaries reported in the media but does not include the various brand endorsement deals and investments the players all have.
This list is based purely on the reported salaries the players receive from their respective clubs:
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Cristiano Ronaldo – £4.17m per week (£217m/year) – [Capology]
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Lionel Messi – £2.3m per week (£120m/year) – [Miami Herald]
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Karim Benzema – £1.6m per week (£83m/year) – [Goal]
- Erling Haaland – £875,000 per week (£46m/year) – [Capology]
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Sadio Mané – £769,000 per week (£34m/year) – [Capology]
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Kylian Mbappé – £498m per week (£25.8m/year) – [Capology]
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Mohamed Salah – £480,000 per week (£25m/year) – [Telegraph]
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Vinícius Júnior – £415,000 per week (£21.6m/year) – [Capology]
- Darwin Nunez*– £400,000 per week (£20.8m/year) (Ben Jacobs)
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Robert Lewandowski – £346,000/week (£18m/year) – [Capology]
*Nunez ranks somewhere below ninth with several players earning in the estimated range of £400-500,000 like N’Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez and Kalidou Koulibaly. He now earns more than Virgil van Dijk and most of the elite strikers in the world.
Ultimately, it’s fair to say Nunez is the major winner in this deal and it will be exciting to see how he does in the Saudi Pro League and hopefully he will return to Europe’s top five leagues in the future with more confidence.
