Porto tried to stop Benfica signing, 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 in 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 the 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 signing, but they had to turn their attention to another target. Souza - who was also linked with the Eagles - ended up being the chosen one.

This summer, the Morocco international moved to Al Qadisiyah, having switched to Benfica even before making his official debut for the Saudi side. 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. .

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