Al-Hilal have opened the door for Darwin Nunez to leave on loan. The Saudi club reached the decision after August arrived without a single suitable offer to sell the Uruguayan striker permanently.
Several Saudi outlets confirmed that the player's entourage and the club had explored various exit routes in recent weeks, but every attempt fell flat. Al-Hilal are now hunting for a club that can take the striker on loan while covering as much of his hefty salary as possible.
According to "Sport", Al-Hilal officials are set to fly to Turkey this week to open talks with one of the major Turkish clubs. The player also continues to draw interest from clubs in the English Premier League and Portugal.
Barcelona have been sounded out over Nunez too, though nothing concrete has followed so far. The Catalan club remain in contact with Al-Hilal over a deal for Joao Cancelo.
Nunez took part in Al-Hilal's training camp in Austria, but he does not feature in the club's plans. The same goes for Karim Benzema, whose future the management would rather end, even as the French striker digs in and insists on staying in Saudi Arabia.
Life in Saudi Arabia never clicked for Nunez. That is why Al-Hilal prefer a return to Europe to rebuild his level and his market value, before selling him a year down the line.
Al-Hilal signed the Uruguayan from Liverpool for 55 million euros. The Reds had earlier paid 85 million euros to bring him in from Benfica, yet his spell in the Premier League never settled.
Barcelona nearly landed Nunez once before, back when he was an Almeria player. The Catalans lodged a low offer and came close to sealing it, but Benfica pounced and signed him for 25 million euros.