Palmeiras Sells Richard Ríos to Benfica for €30 Million

São Paulo, Brazil — Palmeiras has finalized the sale of midfielder Richard Ríos to Benfica, Portugal, on Sunday morning. The 25-year-old player will sign a five-year contract and bid farewell to fans later today at 5:30 PM before the match against Atlético-MG, though he will not participate in the game.

According to reports, Benfica will pay 30 million euros (approximately R$ 194 million) for Ríos. Of this amount, Palmeiras will retain 70% of the transfer fee, which is about R$ 135.8 million. The remaining percentage will be distributed between Guarani, which will receive 13.4%, and Flamengo, which is entitled to 6.6%.

Both clubs are expected to finalize the paperwork for the transfer on the same day. With this deal, Ríos will no longer represent Palmeiras, where he has been one of the key players this season.

Initially, in negotiations with Roma, Ríos considered giving up the 10% of the transfer fee owed to him. However, with Benfica, he managed to retain that percentage, and the Portuguese club will pay him directly.

Palmeiras is now actively searching for a suitable replacement for Ríos. The midfielder joined the team in 2023 for R$ 7 million and has seen his value increase significantly since then.

Throughout his time at Palmeiras, Ríos made 138 appearances, scoring 11 goals and providing ten assists. He helped the club secure the Campeonato Brasileiro in 2023 and the Campeonato Paulista in 2024. The club hopes to find a strong replacement to maintain their competitive performance in the league.