Ex-Southampton Sofiane Boufal on Al Ahly radar

Morocco and Al-Rayyan forward Sofiane Boufal is reportedly one of the names on Al Ahly’s shortlist to strengthen their attacking line in preparation for next season.

Boufal currently plies his trade at Qatari side Al-Rayyan after a long career in Europe that saw him play for French clubs Angers, Lille, Southampton, and Celta de Vigo.

He moved to Qatar in January 2023 but made just 16 appearances in which he scored four goals, having been forced to miss the majority of last season due to injuries.

A new adventure in Egypt is on the cards for the 30-year-old after reportedly being offered to African champions Al Ahly in the last hours.

Al Ahly head coach Marcel Koller is also reportedly open to the idea of signing Boufal and the club opened preliminary talks to check the feasibility of the deal.

Boufal was one of Morocco’s stars during the 2022 World Cup, starting every single game, to help his country finish fourth in a historic achievement.

He has 70 Premier League appearances to his name during his time with Southampton, 35 in La Liga with Celta de Vigo, and 99 in Ligue 1 with both Angers and Lille.

If successful, Boufal would be the third Moroccan in Al Ahly’s squad alongside Reda Slim and new signing Yahia Attiyat Allah, who was also part of the Atlas Lions’ squad in the World Cup.

Al Ahly have a space in their foreign players’ quota after Aliou Dieng’s departure and the expected departure of Percy Tau after his fallout with head coach Marcel Koller.