GALLERY: Abdelmounaim Boutouil in Mamelodi Sundowns colours

Mamelodi Sundowns on Thursday unveiled their long-term target and now signing Abdelmounaim Boutouil from Morocco.

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Boutouil had been on the radar of Sundowns for over a year, and the move looked like it wouldn’t happen after delays in him securing a visa.

The deal was actually announced at the end of June, but it took months for Sundowns to get it over the line, and they did just that before the transfer deadline day.

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The 24-year-old centre-back arrived at Sundowns earlier this week and penned a three-year deal with an option to renew for a further two years.

Boutouil has already been with his new teammates at the Sundowns training base in Chloorkop, and he’s already hard at work trying to impress the technical team.

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The Brazilians shared pictures of the Morocco international at training as soon as he was inveiled on Thursday afternoon.

ABDELMOUNAIM BOUTOUIL IN MAMELODI SUNDOWNS COLOURS – IMAGES

Boutouil is seen as a direct replacement for Brazilian defender Ricardo Nascimento who left Sundowns last season after refusing to hang up his boots.

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The former Raja Casablanca defender is the first footballer to ply his trade in South Africa’s top-flight, and there are already high expectations on him.