Safouane Karim has completed a move to Lithuanian side FK BE1 Jonava, joining the I Lyga outfit on a free transfer from the status of Without Club. The 21-year-old right winger has signed a deal that runs from 2026-03-05 to 2027-12-31, committing his immediate future to the Lithuanian second tier and confirming a fresh chapter outside the Netherlands and Morocco.
The transfer was finalised without a fee after Karim had been unattached, allowing FK BE1 to secure the left-footed attacker at no cost. Having been listed without a current market value at the time of the move, the switch represents a low-risk acquisition for the club, who gain a young, technically trained winger with experience in several European development systems.
Karim arrives with a background that spans multiple academies and reserve sides. Born on 18 Jul 2004, the 1.67 m wide man holds both Dutch and Moroccan nationality and is primarily deployed as an attacking right winger, cutting in from the flank on his stronger left foot. His youth career began in the FC Utrecht setup, moving from FC Utrecht Youth to FC Utrecht U17 and then FC Utrecht U18, before stepping up to SC Heerenveen U21 in the Netherlands.
From Heerenveen’s youth ranks he switched to FC Volendam in the Eredivisie system, where his market value was previously listed at €50,000 in March 2024 and then €100,000 by the end of May 2024. Later that year he moved to France with FC Girondins Bordeaux, before a brief spell at Roda JC Kerkrade U21 brought him back to Dutch football. Following his departure from Roda’s U21 side, Karim entered a period without a club, setting the stage for FK BE1 to step in.
The move to FK BE1 marks Karim’s confirmed entry into Lithuanian football, with the club competing in the I Lyga. This shift takes him away from the more familiar Dutch and French pathways into a growing, but less high-profile, league where regular senior minutes may be more attainable. For FK BE1, adding a dual-nationality winger educated in Dutch academies offers a potential technical and tactical boost in wide areas.
Karim’s recent trajectory, from the youth and reserve leagues of the Netherlands and France to a full professional environment in Lithuania, suggests FK BE1 could be a platform for him to re-establish and possibly rebuild his market value. With his contract locked in from 2026-03-05 to 2027-12-31, both player and club now have a stable window to prove that this move can be a springboard rather than a detour in his developing career.
