From the sweetness of Angevin to the moistness of the Gulf… Sofiane Boufal is in Qatar this Tuesday to finalize his transfer from SCO Angers to Al-Rayyan, a poorly ranked club in the Qatari championship (10th).
The SCO, Ligue 1 red lantern, announced Monday evening “an agreement in principle” with the Qatari club for a transfer of the Moroccan international striker, very prominent at the World Cup-2022.
“The player is authorized to go to Qatar this Tuesday to pass the medical examination,” said Angers in a short message on social networks.
After the transfer of Azzedine Ounahi, another Moroccan from the SCO very prominent at the World Cup, to Marseille in recent days, a departure from Boufal was also expected: the two semi-finalists of the World Cup have only appeared very sporadically in Angers since their return from Qatar.
At 29, Boufal was under contract until 2024 when he enjoyed the highest salary in the squad, but he had removed all mention of the club on his social networks, even if he took the time at the beginning of January to go greet the inhabitants of the neighborhood where he grew up in Angers.
Four goals in 13 Ligue 1 games
He entered the SCO at the age of 10 and made his professional debut nine years later. He then shone in Lille (2015-2016) before missing his adventure in England and returning to revive in Angers in 2020.
If the physique has often struggled to follow, his technical qualities have allowed him to remember the good memories of the Moroccan selection (39 selections, 6 goals) where, thanks to a refined game and greater tactical discipline, he has finally earned his starting stripes from the CAN a year ago.
At the start of the season, he was one of the few Angevins to show himself at the level, even irregularly. This season, Boufal, 13 games with Angers, scored 4 goals and delivered 3 assists.
