Deal done! El Karouani joins Benfica; see the deal details | OneFootball

Benfica have reached an agreement with Saudi side Al Qadsiah for the loan signing of Moroccan international left-back Souffian El Karouani, 25, in a deal that is practically done and close to being made official.

According to sources in Saudi Arabia, Benfica SAD secured the inclusion of a purchase option in the agreement, which should be around €10 million. The clubs will split the payment of his wages during the loan until the end of this season.

El Karouani is already in Lisbon, where he landed late on Sunday night and, still at the airport, showed his excitement about this step in his career. "A good feeling, a fantastic feeling, and I’m really happy to be here. I can’t wait to get started. I had the opportunity to return to Europe and Benfica are one of the biggest clubs in Europe, so I didn’t have to think twice. I want to win trophies and have a good season with Benfica. Benfica are one of those clubs that are obliged to win, you don’t even need to think much about it. That’s my goal," he told BTV.

The former Utrecht defender also revealed that he had spoken with Marco Silva before travelling to Lisbon. "I had a phone call with him, it was a great conversation and I told him I can’t wait to get started", he said, making it clear that the coach wanted him to come to the Luz.

Marco Silva wanted a full-back with attacking ability that Samuel Dahl, the current first-choice on the left side of the defence, does not have. El Karouani finished last season with 50 appearances for Utrecht, five goals and 18 assists, showing a greater attacking threat.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.