Chelsea backed to launch jaw-dropping Darwin Nunez move with Premier League return POSSIBLE

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TEAMtalk

·28 Februari 2026

Chelsea backed to launch jaw-dropping Darwin Nunez move with Premier League return POSSIBLE

Chelsea are set to be in the market for a new centre-forward this summer, and they have been surprisingly urged to sign ex-Liverpool star Darwin Nunez, as our sources confirm he is open to a sensational return to the Premier League.

The Uruguayan international joined Liverpool in the summer of 2022 in a then-club record deal worth £85million, but he ultimately failed to live up to his price tag at Anfield.

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Nunez notched 40 goals in 143 games for the Reds, but form was ultimately too inconsistent, and he was sold to Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal for £54million (including add-ons) last summer. However, things haven’t gone to plan for the 26-year-old. After just 24 games and nine goals for the Riyadh-based club, his fortunes have taken a dramatic turn.

In February, Al-Hilal swooped to sign Karim Benzema from rivals Al-Ittihad, and the French superstar’s arrival saw Nunez dropped from Al-Hilal’s Pro League and Cup squad due to the league’s strict foreign player quota. That means Nunez cannot play league football again this season – a huge blow ahead of the World Cup finals.

TEAMtalk transfer insider, Graeme Bailey, exclusively revealed on February 21 that Nunez is considering his future in the Middle East, and a host of European clubs have made enquiries ahead of the summer.

Intermediaries have spoken to a number of clubs in England, and we can confirm that Tottenham and Newcastle are among those keeping tabs on the situation.

Nunez would need to give up a huge chunk of wages to leave Al-Hilal, but the situation has taken such a turn that it is believed he would be open to that. And now, Chelsea have been touted as a shock landing spot for the him…

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‘A very good player – a smart player’

Former Chelsea and France star Marcel Desailly has stated that he believes Nunez would be a shrewd signing for Chelsea, and that he could even end up emulating Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp.

With Liam Delap fighting for his future at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior is understood to be open to adding a new forward in the summer. Desailly thinks Nunez could be the perfect addition for the London club.

“I would actually recommend Nunez for Chelsea,” Desailly told FootItalia. He’s a very good player, a smart player – he just needs the right environment to perform. When Liverpool identified his potential they knew what they had statistically.

“But when you start on a bad note, the confidence disappears and the consideration from those around you follows. It’s like Dennis Bergkamp going to Inter Milan – things went completely wrong. Or Roberto Carlos in his early days, shooting the ball into the stands. The confidence wasn’t there. That’s what happened to Nunez at Liverpool. But the quality is still there. He’s at Al-Hilal now and has scored around six goals in 16 matches [actually nine in 24] – not bad at all.”

“I’m pleased to see him wanting to come back to European football – it shows money isn’t everything. A club like Chelsea, or the new Manchester United, would be best for him. He needs to be surrounded by established, confident players who know they’re going to play every weekend and who will give him the ball on the first intention. That’s the small detail – when he makes a run, he needs to get the ball immediately. Otherwise he loses confidence quickly.

“We had something similar with Frank Lampard – magnificent player, but sometimes he would look for another option instead of playing the ball first-time to the striker. You could see the strikers losing their rhythm. Nunez needs that immediate ball. But he’s a quality player and he’s still young enough.”