Darwin Nunez is ready to join his new team after lots of talk about the Premier League.

Darwin Nunez is ready to join his new team after lots of talk about the Premier League.

Darwin Nunez’s next move has finally come to light after lots of guesswork about where he might go next.

Nunez left Liverpool last summer and joined Al Hilal for £46.3 million. He scored nine goals in 24 games in the Saudi Pro League, where Al Hilal finished second behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. But when Karim Benzema arrived from Al Ittihad, Nunez was left out of Al Hilal’s league squad because of the limit on foreign players.

Al Hilal recently signed Crysencio Summerville from West Ham as their big new player, and rumors about Nunez leaving have been growing. People even talked about a surprise return to Liverpool, or moves to Chelsea, Newcastle, Barcelona, Atlanta United from the MLS, and Turkish teams Besiktas and Trabzonspor, who signed Mo Salah recently. There was also chatter about AC Milan, now led by Ruben Amorim.

But according to Fabrizo Romano, Nunez never had any deals with the Turkish clubs, and he’s actually close to joining Diriyah Club, still in Saudi Arabia. The move is almost done. Diriyah, with former Crystal Palace manager Dougie Freedman as sporting director, have been doing well lately, winning back-to-back promotions to reach the Saudi Pro League. They just hired Bruno Lage, the former Wolves boss, as their new manager for their first season in the top division.

Meanwhile, Al Hilal are looking to replace Nunez and have made a £38.5 million bid to sign Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa. Villa rejected the offer, wanting more money. But talks are still happening, with Al Hilal hopeful a deal can be made. Watkins scored 21 goals in 55 games and has two years left on his contract. He hasn’t caused any trouble and keeps training hard, and Romano says he wants the move.

Watkins had been linked to Manchester United and Arsenal before, but now he could be the next English star heading to Saudi Arabia. Villa already have Tammy Abraham and teenage sensation Brian Madjo, but they are also looking at other options like Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, who isn’t playing much.