Former Chelsea captain Marcel Desailly told Foot Italia that he would recommend Darwin Núñez for Chelsea and also suggested that the new Manchester United would be a good environment for the Uruguayan forward. Desailly believes the 26-year-old is a smart player who needs to be surrounded by confident players to perform. Núñez, who joined Al-Hilal from Liverpool last summer, faces an uncertain future after being left out of the squad for the rest of their league campaign. The Saudi club chose to replace him with January signing Karim Benzema due to the maximum number of foreign players allowed. This has reportedly left Núñez ready for a return to Europe after just one season, and many Premier League sides have already registered an interest in him. The forward, who has 36 caps and 13 goals for Uruguay, has a contract with the Saudi club until June 2028. Before being excluded from the squad, he had scored 6 goals and provided 4 assists in 16 Saudi Pro League appearances this season. His move to Al Hilal in August 2025 was for a reported initial fee of €53 million, and reports in February 2026 suggested Al Hilal was willing to let him join Fenerbahçe on loan without a fee. His current Transfermarkt market value is €35.00m.