Darwin Nunez windfall grows greater thanks to shrewd contract clause for Liverpool exit

Darwin Nunez is now on his way out of Liverpool, but the Merseysiders will not be the only ones to benefit from the Uruguayan striker’s move to the Middle East this month

Darwin Nunez’s move from Liverpool to Al-Hilal will bank one of his former clubs another huge windfall. The Uruguayan will soon be meeting the Saudi Arabian giants in Germany – where they are currently training – to undergo a medical.

Arne Slot’s side will bank an initial £46million from his sale with potential add-ons moving the fee to beyond £50m. The ex-Benfica forward has often struggled at Anfield, but he is set to be paid around £400,000-a-week in the Middle East.

Nunez and Liverpool will not be the only parties banking big money as a result of this move, though. His first senior club Penarol, who he joined in 2014 and are based in his home country Uruguay, have profited immensely from his moves across Europe.

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In 2019, a 20-year-old Nunez made his first move to Europe when he joined La Liga side Almeria. The Spanish side paid a Uruguayan football record fee of around £6.94m, but included a 20% sell-on clause in the deal.

Just over a year later, Nunez’s childhood side were left counting their pennies again. Benfica were so impressed with his performances in Spain, they forked out around £21.7m to take him to Portugal.

As a result, Penarol received 20% of the fee, equivalent to around £4.34m.

El Observador report how Penarol were then still entitled to a sum of money when Liverpool decided to sign Nunez in the summer of 2022.

Liverpool, who were managed by Jurgen Klopp at the time, signed him for an initial £65m, with potential add-ons taking the deal up to £85m. As a result of the move, Penarol received approximately £3m due to their shrewdness when he joined Almeria.

The Reds were savvy themselves, as not all of the aforementioned add-ons had to be paid. Slot’s decision not to start him in one more Premier League game for the Merseysiders last season reportedly prevented one of the clauses from being met, saving Liverpool an estimated £4.3m.

Despite not having him at the club since 2019, Penarol still hold around 3% of any transfer fee Liverpool made from him. When his move to Saudi goes through, they are set to receive around £1.34m from the deal.

In total, they have earned around £15.62m from Nunez, 26, over the years. It is a large sum of money for the Uruguayans, particularly considering Nunez only made 14 appearances for the club.

Most excitingly of all, in the future, they may welcome him back with open arms. He has previously said his ambition is to one day return to the club he was at since the age of 13.

While speaking to a Uruguayan television channel in 2023, he said: “One day I plan to return and lift the Copa Libertadores with my Peñarol shirt.”

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