Richard Ríos, the 26-year-old Colombian midfielder, will temporarily leave Benfica to reinforce Al Ittihad during the 2026/27 season. The agreement between the two clubs was officially announced, with the eagles agreeing to the loan of the Colombian international in a deal that does not include any purchase option on the part of the Saudi club.
Benfica are expected to earn approximately 4 million euros from this loan, which will also help ease the financial burden on the encarnada board. In addition to the fee received for the loan, Al Ittihad will be responsible for the entire salary of Richard Ríos, who will earn considerably more in Saudi Arabia.
After some initial resistance, the player eventually accepted the move and gave his approval to the project presented by the Saudi club. Ríos viewed a departure from the Luz favourably, at a time when he was seeking a solution to regain prominence in his football.
The loss of ground in Marco Silva's plans ended up being decisive for the Colombian's departure, who leaves Benfica without having managed to establish himself as an important piece in the Portuguese coach's system.
