Rui Costa’s big-money Benfica sale could be scrapped, star may return home | OneFootball

Marcos Leonardo had a very brief stint at Benfica. The Brazilian forward arrived at Luz in January 2024 from Santos and ended up being sold by Rui Costa in the following transfer window, with by September of that same year, he was already an Al Hilal player. However, now, the athlete, who brought 40 million euros into Benfica’s coffers, wants to return to Brazil.

The initial idea of the 22-year-old was to return to the Brasileirão, on loan to São Paulo, but the deal became impossible to complete due to the high amounts demanded by Al Hilal to make it happen. The Saudis were asking just under 1.9 million euros for the loan until the end of this calendar year, while the tricolor club wanted to pay a lower amount.

With this in mind, ESPN Brasil reports that Marcos Leonardo – who even shone recently – is considering terminating his contract with just cause if he is not registered for the Saudi league. If that happens, the player will argue that he is “prevented from performing his duties as a professional.” The striker has reportedly already met with his lawyers and representatives and, if he moves forward with the decision and succeeds in terminating his contract, he will be able to sign with any club he wants. This is because, in such cases, FIFA allows the player to be registered with a club even after the usual deadline.

Although he has, on several occasions, been an essential figure for Al Hilal, Marcos Leonardo is not in the plans of the new coach, Inzaghi, and if the contract termination is ruled in his favor, he will be entitled to receive the remaining salary in his contract, 20 million euros, since the forward still has four seasons left on his contract with the Saudis, earning five million euros per year.

Wearing the Benfica shirt, Marcos Leonardo – valued at 18 million euros – played 24 matches, scoring eight goals with the Sacred Mantle. In 2024/25, playing for Al Hilal, Cristiano Ronaldo’s rival club, the Brazilian managed to find the net 29 times in 43 matches played.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.