Darwin Nunez offered escape from Saudi nightmare by MLS club

Al Hilal striker Darwin Nunez is in talks over a move to MLS side Atlanta United, talkSPORT understands.

Nunez, who left Liverpool last summer for Saudi Arabia, is expected to leave after being frozen out of games last season.

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Both the Uruguayan and Al Hilal have discussed a mutual termination of his deal – which does not expire until 2028 – but as it stands, he remains under contract at the club.

Nunez played 14 times in the Saudi Pro League last season, scoring six goals and providing four assists.

However, in February, he was axed from their registered league squad following a failed move to Turkish giants Fenerbahce.

His transfer to Turkey fell through, but Al Hilal had already signed Karim Benzema from Al Ittihad to replace him.

Benzema took his spot in the squad, leaving Nunez without a place and unable to feature in any league fixtures.

He was able to play in the AFC Champions League, where he scored two goals following his snub and stared in the direction of the club’s ownership, muttering something to himself after celebrating.

Since that game on February 16, Nunez hasn’t played a single game for Al Hilal, making his last five appearances for Uruguay.

He featured in all of his nation’s games at the World Cup, as they failed to win a game and were knocked out early.

His recent misery seems to potentially be coming to an end though, as Atlanta have opened talks to sign him this summer.

The MLS side are also interested in Swiss striker Breel Embolo, who currently plays for Monaco and is valued at £12.8million.

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Striker conundrum

Should Nunez leave Al Hilal, the Saudi side will have Benzema as their main front man for the next campaign.

At least that’s what he’s expecting to be for the club…

talkSPORT understands that the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner is expecting a prominent role in the team next term.

But the club and Benzema are in talks ahead of the new season, with Al Hilal attentive to the striker market.

He would not accept a scenario, suggested by some Saudi reports, where he is only registered for Asian Champions League games.

That is the position that Nunez was put in last term, which left him sidelined from the Al Hilal set-up.