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€9m MORE than Salah – The staggering numbers behind Darwin Nunez’s Saudi contract
Robin Bairner
- 6 Aug 2025 13:15 BST
- 4 min read
Analysis
Darwin Nunez is closing in on a stunning move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal that will land the Liverpool striker a fortune.
Al-Hilal have earmarked the former Benfica player as Neymar’s long-term replacement at the club, and while the Uruguay international will not earn the type of money that the Brazil international did, he still stands to earn an enormous salary.
After Fabrizio Romano confirmed a club-to-club agreement between Liverpool and their Saudi counterparts, Sacha Tavolieri revealed some of the figures behind the move.
Current ETV
Darwin Núñez
F (C), AM (L)
Liverpool
Darwin Núñez
F (C), AM (L)
Liverpool
ETV Range
€46.2M - €56.5M
Al-Hilal are set to pay a transfer fee of around €57.5 million for Nunez. This will not match Liverpool’s outlay on the player, which has been around €90m all in, but it is still enough to land them a profit on the books.
Nunez has been offered a three-year contract worth €21.5m a season ($25m), with Al-Hilal aiming to finalise the deal this weekend.
But how does this compare to European football’s leading players?
What is Darwin Nunez’s salary?
One of the attractions of the Saudi Pro League is working for big money in a tax-free environment, and this means that Nunez stands to earn a fortune.
His €21.5m salary will effectively be his take-home pay.
This compares favourably to any player in Europe. Mohamed Salah, who FootballTransfers exclusively reported will leave Liverpool in 2026, likely to join Nunez in Saudi Arabia, earns a gross salary of €22.6m at Anfield, L’Equipe reports.
When tax deductions are made from the Egypt international’s salary, this could theoretically drop as low as €12-13m in terms of his net pay. Of course, there are numerous factors that could affect this estimate, including residency status.
Even Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, who is the best-paid player in the Premier League, is estimated to earn only around €16m after tax.
Another big name that the 26-year-old will out-earn is Vinicius Junior, who is currently demanding a raise on his €15m net Real Madrid deal. The Brazilian is using lucrative offer from Saudi as a bargaining chip.
Nunez’s salary is not even particularly eye-catching when it comes to Saudi salaries, with Cristiano Ronaldo earning around €200m at Al-Nassr and Karim Benzema is on €100m at Al-Ittihad. Former Liverpool team-mate Sadio Mane is also reportedly earning €40m a year alongside Ronaldo.
Little wonder, then, that the Pro League is becoming an attractive destination for players not quite good enough for Europe’s elite.
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