Mamelodi Sundowns youngster Siyabonga Mabena is attracting serious interest from Europe, according to insiders privy to information.
However the Betway Premiership champions are believed to have placed a hefty price tag on their starlet.
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Since making his Premier Soccer League debut as a 16-year-old during a 5-1 thrashing of Royal AM, the tricky winger has slowly risen within the Masandawana ranks.
After starting only one match in the entirety of the 2023/24 campaign, his first full season as a member of Sundowns' first team, he seemed poised for a bigger role under Manqoba Mngqithi.
He started his first match of the 2024/25 season as early as October 2024, playing in Sundowns 1-0 defeat to Polokwane City. During the encounter, he suffered a long-term injury.
As a consequence, he is set for an extended period on the sidelines. However, prior to the commencement of the campaign, the attacker was the subject of much interest from Europe.
Prominent scouts from some of Europe's most renowned football clubs first took notice of the youngster during his exploits at the Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria in 2023.
He had eye-catching performances at the tournament and has been tracked by these clubs ever since. During the previous transfer window, a Danish club—whose name is known to the publication—is believed to be keen to recruit the player before the start of the season.
Soccer Laduma can, however, reveal that a deal with the Scandinavian club in question did not materialise due to the asking price Sundowns had placed on the young star. The South African giants are understood to be asking for as much as €1 million (R19.3 million) for their academy graduate, and this price tag is believed to have caused the club to hesitate on a player who has had limited first-team opportunities.
The youngster's injury has perhaps, for now, caused clubs that were tracking him at the youth AFCON to divert their attention elsewhere. It remains to be seen what kind of form Mabena will return in and whether a European outfit will be willing to meet Sundowns' valuation of the player.
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The Brazilians were contacted for comment on the story but this publication is yet to receive a response from the club at the time of publishing.
By Kamogelo Motecwane
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