Darwin Núñez and Pablo Marí have both been left out of Al Hilal’s registered squad for the Saudi Pro League, Softfootball reports.
Following the arrival of Karim Benzema, Núñez will now only be available for Al Hilal’s AFC Champions League matches and will not feature in domestic league fixtures. The development was confirmed by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano via his official X handle.
he stated:
Darwin Núñez and Pablo Marí are both out of Al Hilal squad list for the Saudi Pro League. Following Benzema’s arrival, Darwin will only be available for the Asian Champions League and not for the domestic league games.
As things stand, Núñez has been fully deregistered from the Saudi Pro League squad. This means he will not receive a league winner’s medal if Al Hilal go on to lift the title, and should the club be eliminated from the Champions League, the 26-year-old would be sidelined for the remainder of the season.
Despite his limited availability, Núñez is reportedly earning £400,000 per week, having joined Al Hilal for €53 million just six months ago.
Before his move to Saudi Arabia, Núñez recorded 41 goal contributions across 95 Premier League appearances. Earlier this month, speculation linking him with a move to Fenerbahçe emerged, but reports indicate that a deal was never close to being completed.
In other news, Nottingham Forest have sacked head coach Sean Dyche after just four months in charge. Dyche departs 114 days after his appointment in October 2025, having overseen 17 Premier League matches with a record of six wins, three draws and eight defeats
