Kaizer Chiefs could be in a tough position in pursuit of one of their main transfer targets, with sources revealing a potential stumbling block.
With Chiefs yet to announce signings for the upcoming season, indications are that the club's newly appointed coach Nasreddine Nabi has prioritised highly-rated Fiston Mayele to potentially be one of the new players joining the Soweto giants.
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Having been linked with the likes of Bafana Bafana striker Lebogang Mothiba, Stellenbosch FC's Iqraam Rayners and Elias Mokwana from Sekhukhune United, Amakhosi are understood to have also revived their interest in Mayele, who plies his trade in Egypt for Pyramids FC.
The 30-year-old forward from Democratic Republic of the Congo is, however, still contracted to Pyramids until 2026, which means a transfer fee as decided by the Egyptian giants will be required to secure his services.
Mayele has been linked with Chiefs since 2022.
With Nabi, who coached Mayele at Young Africans in Tanzania, now in charge at Amakhosi, it has been thought that the mentor would use his relationship with the player to facilitate the deal, though a close source believes that it won't be easy to get him due to the price tag on his head.
"Chiefs is a big club and with the budget to spend on players, and that cannot be taken for granted. But I doubt the club will want to spend so much money on Fiston Mayele. What I know is that anyone who wants Mayele won't get him for less than 2 million dollars (R=/-36 million)," said the source.
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"The club has already paid over R1 million for the activation of the release clause to terminate (Nasreddine) Nabi's contract with AS FAR. Yes, if they are serious about getting the player, they will do everything to make it happen, but personally I don't think the club will want to go that route at such a huge amount. Yes, Mayele is a top priority for the coach (Nabi), he is a good player, but the kind of money that Pyramids FC want for him is crazy," the source concluded.
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