According to Fabrizio Romano, Napoli have officially informed Liverpool FC that they will no longer pursue Darwin Nunez, opting instead to sign Udinese’s Lorenzo Lucca.
Romano states that Nunez is still expected to leave, with clubs from Saudi Arabia keen on the player.
Napoli have informed Liverpool tonight that Darwin Nunez deal can be considered off. Napoli will sign Lucca as new striker despite Nunez opening doors to the move, fee considered too high. Nunez, still expected to leave #LFC this summer
ADwith Saudi clubs and more keen. pic.twitter.com/g69gxDNMKJ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 15, 2025
Interest from Saudi Arabia is not new, as Liverpool, in the middle of a title race, reportedly turned down a bid from Al-Nassr in January. This time, it’s Al-Hilal, with new manager Simone Inzaghi, who wants the Uruguayan striker, with Saudi outlet Arriyadiyah reporting that Al Hilal “has opened the door” for a move, opening up discussions with Liverpool in recent days to assess our stance on a possible deal.
Nunez was understood to be open to a move to Saudi Arabia, but had been prioritising staying in Europe with a move to Napoli. Now that option is off the table, so we might see a Saudi move accelerate.
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