Contract terminated! Liverpool's £85m striker set for free transfer this summer

Nunez only moved from Liverpool to the Saudi Pro League last summer for €53 million. The Reds, however, had sanctioned a fee that had the potential to reach £85m when they signed the Uruguayan from Benfica around four years ago. He is now all set to leave on a free transfer and there is even talk of a Premier League return, with both Newcastle United and Chelsea reportedly monitoring the situation. So why did Al Hilal decide to cut its losses so abruptly?

Nunez saw his Saudi Pro League playing papers withdrawn in the winter window after Karim Benzema's move to Al Hilal. The league's foreign-player rule - capping each squad at 10 foreigners, with eight over-20s and two under-20s - forced the decision.

Before the exclusion, Nunez had struggled to justify the lofty expectations: in 22 appearances he contributed nine goals and five assists. Since arriving in early February, Benzema has matched that goal tally and provided the same number of assists - and all in 10 fewer outings.

For Nunez, the timing could not be worse, with the World Cup looming this summer. The 26-year-old has not played a competitive club match since February 16. In the final group-stage outing of the AFC Champions League, when he was still eligible, Nunez netted twice. He was left out of the squad for the round-of-16 exit in April, however, making his place in the national team look increasingly uncertain. In the friendlies against England and Algeria at the end of March, he came on as a late substitute in both games, which should at least earn him a spot in the squad.