(Credit: Imago, Getty)

Oliver Walton

Wed 13 August 2025 20:33, UK

Mo Salah has issued two messages to Darwin Nunez after the Uruguayan striker’s Liverpool departure was confirmed earlier this week.

Darwin Nunez sends emotional farewell to Liverpool fans	Jack Grealish sends emotional message to Man City teammates after Everton exit	Darwin Nunez sends direct message to Liverpool fans after transfer exit

Liverpool’s desire to continue at the top of English football under Arne Slot has seen them spend big in the summer window to bolster their squad, with the likes of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong signed for sizeable fees.

That sort of spending has meant they have needed to also sanction some exits, and former scout Mick Brown previously told Football Insider that Liverpool planned to accept a cut-price offer for Nunez, and he was not in the manager’s plans for the new campaign.

Nunez could leave Liverpool (Credit Imago)

The Athletic reported on 3 August that Al-Hilal had identified the 26-year-old as a “priority target,” and the move soon progressed with Liverpool then announcing Nunez’s exit to the Saudi Pro League side on Saturday, 9 August.

Nunez has often been vilified by Liverpool fans online over the last few years, with his inconsistencies in front of goal making him a divisive figure among those that follow the Reds.

He spent three years at Anfield, though, and walks away from the club with a Premier League winners medal to show for his efforts, with his teammates clearly set to miss his antics both on and off the pitch going forward.

Liverpool star Mo Salah struck up a close bond with his Uruguayan teammate during their time spent together at the club, and he took to Instagram on Wednesday (13 August) to send a heartfelt message to the striker after the recent news of his exit, saying: “I consider myself lucky to have had you as a teammate and friend.

You were always very real and brought so much good energy wherever you went.

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“You made us laugh and showed heart in everything you did.

You will be missed and I wish you the best in your new club,” alongside a picture of the pair laughing in training.

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Salah also chose to share the lighter side of his and Nunez’s relationship off the field on his Instagram story, as he followed his post by sharing a picture which depicted the Egyptian winger giving Nunez the middle finger while he took a selfie of him and Luis Diaz sitting in a sauna.

Football Insider verdict

Nunez arrived on Merseyside from Benfica in 2022 with the hopes and dreams of many Liverpool fans on his shoulders, as they dared to believe that he would be the missing piece of the puzzle to fire them back to league glory under Jurgen Klopp.

His initial £64million [BBC] fee was soon called into question as he was sent off for a headbutt against Crystal Palace in the early stages of his debut season, and while he often showed promise, there was clearly something missing from his all-round game.

AppearancesGoalsAssists1434026Nunez’s Liverpool career stats

That theme continued over the last two years, and even though he had a penchant for netting late goals when the Reds needed him most, he struggled to stay consistent with his scoring and thus only started eight league games last season.

The arrival of Ekitike was sure to pushed him even further down the striker pecking order, and with Alexander Isak also still on Liverpool’s radar, it was certainly the right time for the Reds to bid their farewells to the Uruguay international.

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