Fabinho's Contract Standoff Poses Dilemma for Al-Ittihad
Al-Ittihad know exactly what Fabinho means to them. They just don’t want to pay him like it.
The 32-year-old Brazilian, signed from Liverpool in the summer of 2023 for 46.7 million euros, has seen his contract run out at the end of last season. On the pitch, he has been a pillar of the Jeddah club’s midfield. Off it, he is now the centre of a tug-of-war that could reshape Al-Ittihad’s spine for the next few years.
A cornerstone, but on reduced terms
Club officials are desperate to keep him. That much is clear. The problem is the numbers.
According to sports media figure Mohammed Al-Bukairy, Al-Ittihad’s company has moved to extend Fabinho’s deal by a single year, taking it through to June 2027. The intention is continuity; the offer is compromise.
The proposal on the table, Al-Bukairy reports, comes in below what Fabinho has earned over the past three seasons in both salary and benefits. For a player who has anchored the side through title-winning campaigns, that cut has not gone down well.
Fabinho and his agent have made their displeasure known. The club’s stance is that negotiations remain alive, with both sides still hunting for a figure that sits close to his previous wage level of 25 million euros per year. The player’s camp, though, has seen this movie before.
Echoes of Benzema
The tension around Fabinho’s renewal instantly drags up the memory of Karim Benzema’s messy exit.
Al-Ittihad once tried a similar approach with the French striker, dubbed “the Government” by the fans. They wanted to renew his deal, but on reduced financial terms. Benzema did not entertain the idea. He shut down talks, pushed for a contract termination, and walked away on a free in the 2026 winter window.
He joined Al-Hilal on a deal running until June 2027. What looked like a coup for the capital club has since soured: Benzema no longer fits into their plans on a technical level, and attempts to offload him have so far failed to find a buyer.
The lesson for Al-Ittihad is obvious. Let a star feel undervalued, and the relationship can unravel quickly.
Fabinho’s value on the pitch
Fabinho’s case carries even more weight because of what he has delivered in Jeddah.
Since arriving in 2023, he has played 111 matches across all competitions for the Tigers, scoring seven goals and supplying nine assists. Those numbers only tell part of the story. He has been the shield in front of the defence, the metronome in midfield, the experienced head in the big moments.
He was central to Al-Ittihad’s 2024-2025 double, as they lifted both the Saudi Roshn League and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup. Titles like that harden a player’s bargaining position. They also make replacing him an expensive gamble.
Al-Ittihad know what they risk losing. The rest of the market knows what they could gain.
Brazil watches, Europe waits
Back in Brazil, clubs are circling.
Several Brazilian newspapers report that Cruzeiro and Palmeiras are keen on bringing Fabinho home this summer. Both see an opportunity: a high-level, title-winning midfielder whose contract situation is unsettled.
Fabinho, though, is not treating a Brazilian return as his first option. His priority, according to those same reports, remains European and Saudi clubs. That keeps Al-Ittihad firmly in the conversation, but it also widens the field of suitors who can step in if the current talks collapse.
For now, the Jeddah club and their midfield general remain locked in negotiation, each side testing how far the other is willing to bend. The memory of Benzema’s abrupt departure hangs over the room like a warning.
Al-Ittihad must decide: do they hold the line on their new financial reality, or do they pay to keep the heartbeat of their midfield and avoid watching another marquee name walk out for nothing?
