Darwin Núñez at Al Hilal: Now on Loan to Al Diriyah

Uruguayan striker Darwin Núñez remains an Al Hilal player, though for the 2026–27 season he is on loan at Saudi Pro League club Al Diriyah, with Al Hilal keeping his registration. His original move to the Riyadh giants was completed in August 2025 as a permanent transfer from Liverpool.

That 2025 deal — reported at around €53 million (roughly £46 million), excluding bonuses — was a private club-to-club agreement. His contract with Al Hilal runs through 2028, and the current loan to Al Diriyah is arranged within Saudi Pro League and federation registration windows and foreign-player quota rules.

How the transfer worked

Professional transfers involving Saudi clubs and foreign clubs are handled through football regulatory channels, including the Saudi Pro League, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, and FIFA's Transfer Matching System. The sporting side of a transfer is not processed through citizen-facing government platforms such as Absher, Muqeem, Qiwa, Najiz, Nafath, or Tawakkalna.

Those e-services platforms are designed for residency, labor contracts, municipal licensing, justice, and procurement — not for announcing or executing football transfer fees. There are no published official Saudi government fees in Saudi Riyal tied to the Núñez transfer beyond normal regulatory charges.

For fans across Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam, the update matters because it clears up where Núñez will play this season: not as a fresh 2026 summer arrival, but as an established Al Hilal squad member gaining regular minutes on loan at Al Diriyah. His path back to Al Hilal remains tied to the terms of his contract through 2028.

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