The 25-year-old Moroccan player El Karouani, a left-back, arrived at Benfica through a season-long loan. The defender leaves Al Qadsiah, a club from Saudi Arabia, to join the Portuguese club.
The loan includes a purchase option that can be activated by Benfica at the end of the season. The exact terms of the agreement have not been fully disclosed by the club.
El Karouani thus strengthens Benfica's left-back position, which is seeking greater depth in the squad for the season. The player's international experience, coming from a competitive league like the Saudi one, could be an asset for the team managed by Roger Schmidt.
With this transfer, Benfica continues its strategy of signing foreign players with appreciation potential. The player is expected to integrate quickly into the main team's training group.
