Marcos Leonardo made millions for Benfica, could return now | OneFootball

Marcos Leonardo is considering moving forward with terminating his contract with Al Hilal. The former Benfica player, who brought in 40 million euros to the club’s coffers, is not satisfied at the Saudi club and wants to return to Brazil, putting all his current options on the table.

The initial idea for the 22-year-old was to return to the Brasileirão, via a loan to São Paulo, but the deal became impossible to finalize due to the high amounts demanded by Al Hilal to make it happen. The Saudis were asking for 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 for just cause if he is not registered in the Saudi league. If that is the case, the player will argue that he is “prevented from performing his duties as a professional.” The striker has already met with his lawyers and representatives and, if he moves forward with the decision and succeeds in terminating the contract, he will be able to sign with any club he wishes. This is because, in such cases, FIFA allows the player to be registered with a club even outside the usual transfer window.

Despite having been, on several occasions, an essential figure for Al Hilal, Marcos Leonardo is not part of the plans of the new coach, Inzaghi, and if the decision to terminate the contract goes in his favor, he will be entitled to receive the remaining salary in his contract, 20 million euros, since the striker still has four years 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.