Porto tried to stop signing joining Benfica, but Villas-Boas was rebuffed | OneFootball

Porto spent the final days of the transfer window searching for a left-back, eventually signing João Souza on loan from Tottenham. However, the blue-and-white side had another target during the summer window: Souffian El Karouani.

According to Record, the Dragons wanted to sign the player who ultimately ended up joining Benfica. Francesco Farioli (who had faced the player in the Eredivisie) and André Villas-Boas even sent messages to the player’s agent in an attempt to convince Souffian El Karouani to change his mind.

Despite their persistence, El Karouani did not give in and kept the word he had already given to Rui Costa and Marco Silva. Farioli saw El Karouani as an important addition, but they had to turn their attention to another target. Souza - who had also been linked with the Eagles - ended up being the chosen one.

This summer, the Morocco international transferred to Al Qadisiyah, moving to Benfica even before making his official debut for the Saudis. However, the footballer did not adapt to life in the Middle East and returned to Europe.

Last season, wearing the Utrecht shirt, El Karouani - valued at €15 million - featured in 50 matches: 34 in the Eredivisie, 14 in the Europa League and two in the KNVB Cup. In 4,203 minutes on the pitch, the Moroccan full-back scored four goals and provided 18 assists.

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