Since signing with Wydad Athletic Club in October 2025, Hakim Ziyech has found himself at the center of a financial standoff that now threatens his future at the Moroccan giants. The Moroccan international put pen to paper on a contract running through June 2027, a deal designed to place him at the heart of the club’s sporting project. His monthly salary, estimated between €80,000 and €100,000, reportedly makes him one of the highest-paid players in Wydad’s history and possibly in the entire Botola. The overall cost of the contract exceeds €1 million per year before bonuses, a major commitment even though Ziyech had already accepted a salary roughly 75 percent lower than some previous offers he received elsewhere. Ziyech remains one of the most prominent faces of Moroccan football, a nation whose national team has enjoyed a notable rise in the FIFA rankings in recent years, a rise fueled in part by dynamic stars like Achraf Hakimi who have raised the profile of the Atlas Lions on the world stage.
Ziyech’s Wydad deal, worth over €1 million a year, already came at a 75 percent pay cut from rival offers.
The new leadership at Wydad, headed by president Ibrahim El Assri, is now trying to reduce the club’s wage bill. With reported financial engagements exceeding 115.8 million dirhams tied to the professional football entity, the administration considers Ziyech’s deal one of the heaviest burdens on the payroll. As a condition for his continued presence, the club has proposed restructuring his pay: lowering the monthly salary while compensating him through a signing bonus paid in several installments. The total value of the package would stay the same, according to reports, but the structure would change markedly.
Ziyech has firmly rejected this proposal. He insists on maintaining the financial terms agreed at signing and has stated his intention to fulfill his contract through 2027. He is not seeking a pay raise or added benefits, but he wants the original terms respected. Sources describe his stance as firm, though he has not resorted to pressure tactics such as skipping training or boycotting matches.
The dispute has already triggered multiple meetings between the two sides, with a third round of talks reportedly held to try to break the deadlock. Some within the club have even studied the possibility of terminating his contract early to ease budget pressure. No resolution has been announced, and Moroccan media have described the situation as sensitive, with direct implications for both the club’s finances and its sporting ambitions heading into the new season.
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