Portimonense set to sign Safawi Rasid

Portimonense are set to complete the signing of Malaysian international Safawi Rasid from Johor Darul Ta’zim.

The winger, who can also play as a striker, has represented his country 33 times at senior level, scoring 10 goals in the process, and is set to play in Europe for the first time, having previously only plied his trade in Malaysia.

The 23-year old is highly rated in his home country, having helped Malaysia to win a runners-up medal at the 2018 AFF Championship and the 2017 Sea Games, losing to Vietnam and Thailand in the final respectively.

Something of a hero in Malaysia already despite his youthful age, Rasid has won several individual honours, including most promising player, most valuable player and most popular player in the Malaysian Football League.

His current club, JDT, confirmed that they have received an offer they believe to be “good for both JDT and Safawi” and are therefore “willing to let Safawi further his career in Europe.”

Portimonense have recently had success when buying players from Asia, having brought in top talent Shoya Nakajima from FC Tokyo, who proved to be a star at the Algarve club.