Mamelodi Sundowns, by their high standards, had a particularly quiet transfer window. There have been more exits than arrivals at Chloorkop with just four players arriving at the start of the season. Lesiba Nku, Lucas Ribeiro Costa, Thapelo Maseko and Junior Mendieta were the only players signed by the club, while the likes of Sammy Seabi, Divine Lunga and Jody February returned following respective loan spells. However, as fate would have it, an unexpected injury to main marksman Peter Shalulile and the departure of Thabiso Kutumela to Cape Town City has seen the defending champions needing a striker as they look to compete in six competitions this season. This has seen the side renew their interest in last season's joint-top goal scorer, Khanyisa Mayo. The Citizens' chairman, John Comitis, has named his price for his player, but will Downs, a club reputed to have the deepest pockets in the league, budge? The Siya crew has a closer look at what it will take for the Mother City-based outfit's number 10 to join the star-studded squad in the capital.
What The Siya Crew Has Been Told…
Mamelodi Sundowns, via head coach Rhulani Mokwena, have made no secret of a desire to rope in a striker before the transfer window slams shut on 22 September. The six-time consecutive league champions, in their last match had 10 players, many of whom are regulars, ruled out through injury – but their main concern has been the strike force. "In relation to the strikers, if we can get Thapelo (Morena) back quickly and (Abubeker) Nasir back quickly, I think we are in a decent situation. We have to look and see whether or not we would go into the market, so that's a space for the sporting director and the club. They know my feelings about the squad, and I leave it to that," he told media after the clash against Golden Arrows at Lucas Moripe Stadium. With Cassius Mailula having departed for the United States of America as well as Peter Shalulile and Nasir ruled out through injury, the Tshwane giants effectively have only Gift Motupa available as a recognised sharpshooter. Even Thapelo Morena, who is deployed in a forward position on occasion, has suffered an injury, which has caused concern for the defending MTN8 semi-finalists. Siya sources in the know have informed Soccer Laduma that Downs had set their sights on a possible return to the club for Percy Tau, who was recently spotted at the Lucas Moripe Stadium.
However, Al Ahly are reluctant to part ways with their talisman at this stage. This has seen the Chloorkop-based outfit turn their attention to Khanyisa Mayo once again. The Brazilians were understood to be keen on the Mthatha-born attacker at the end of the 2022/23 season. However, at the time the club had secured the signature of Thapelo Maseko, who is in a similar mould to him, although a few years younger, which saw their interest in the player die down. As a result, Cape Town City boss John Comitis tied the left-footed star down to a new long-term contract with the club, which will see him remain at Hartleyvale until, at least, 2028. This, more than anything, was a strategic move by the astute businessman, Siya sources have informed the crew. Comitis, the Siya crew understands, is open to selling the player – but he has named his price for the 24-year-old, slapping a staggering $2 million (±R37.5 million) price tag on his head! "Mayo's value is in excess of $2 million, in my opinion. We are not going to compromise and sell ourselves short, and he also deserves to go to a big club. So, we want to be patient. He himself understands that he possibly needs one more season. If Mayo gets 15 goals, it is going to be the hardest thing to keep him in this country. We have had a lot of interest from Qatar, we have had interest from Saudi Arabia, but I think he deserves to go to Europe. He has that ability and mentality for it, so we are patient. But I do think that he has a job to do with us here and I think with his goals, we can certainly turn that into silverware," he told journalists on 1 August. Sundowns are known to fork out big transfer fees for their targets and will stop at nothing to get them – but this publication understands that they could include players in the deal to reduce City's hefty asking price.
What Are The Facts?
Rushine De Reuck: knee injury, Thapelo Morena: hamstring injury, Khuliso Mudau: hamstring injury, Siphelele Mkhulise: ankle injury, Siyanda Nyanga: shoulder injury, Thapelo Maseko: knee injury, Mosa Lebusa: calf injury, Neo Maema: foot injury. That is how the Downs treatment room, which resembles a hospital ward, looks at this point. However, it is the injuries of Shalulile (hamstring) and Nasir (ankle) that are of greatest concern for the serial-winning side. With games coming thick and fast, the Brazilians are thin in terms of their strike force. Bringing in a foreign marksman could be an option given the club's expansive scouting network across the globe. However, Junior Mendieta, Lucas Ribeiro, Marcelo Allende, Abdelmounaim Boutouil and Nasir are all occupying foreign slots at the moment. Downs also have Erwin Saavedra, which rules out the arrival of a foreign signing, for now, which is why the club has been chasing Tau, and now Mayo. A boost for the Chloorkop-based outfit in their pursuit of Mayo is the fact that they have bought a number of players from the Citizens in recent times. The likes of Kermit Erasmus, Terrence Mashego, Aubrey Ngoma, Lyle Lakay and Surprise Ralani have all left the Cape outfit to join the star-studded side in the last five years, and now Soccer Laduma understands the Mokwena-led team are looking to make Mayo the sixth signing from City.
The Story Behind The Scenes
City willing to sell, at the right price
The 2018 MTN8 winners, as it appears, have already started making provision for life without Mayo if their signings are anything to go by. They have roped in Angolan striker Jó Paciencia and Kutumela, the latter on a season- long loan from Sundowns, with their star striker having endured a relatively slow start to the campaign. Mayo, who turned 25 on 27 August, is yet to find the back of the net in five matches for Eric Tinkler's side this season and has seemingly struggled in the number nine role, as most of his 12 goals last season came whilst the speedster was playing as a winger. City have scored three goals in five matches, none of which have come from Mayo. The faith is being kept in him, however, as he continues to start matches for the Cape side – but it appears that the club have already resigned themselves to the fact that they could be losing him in the current transfer window. The Citizens have managed to find the perfect balance between their recruitment and selling of players to keep the club financially viable. Over the last few seasons, they have sold a number of their key players to rivals and Siya sources have indicated they are willing to part ways with their top goal scorer, at the right price. With a R37 million price tag slapped on Mayo, it is unlikely that even Sundowns would fork out that kind of money in the current market… but the Tshwane giants have splashed around R20 million to land Maseko, who was a key target for their technical team, from their cross-town rivals SuperSport United. Indications are that they could follow suit with the blonde-haired star. What Downs do boast is a plethora of stars both young and experienced, at their disposal, which can be used as part of the deal. They already have Kutumela in the Mother City, and it would be no surprise if they add a few more to that list.
Sundowns willing to welcome Mayo?
In December last year, Sundowns talisman and captain Themba Zwane told the media that he would be open to having Mayo at the club, providing that he delivers consistently as is required by the club. He told journalists, "Ja, he has a space at Sundowns. I told him that Sundowns is different. You need to be on top of your game. In every game you play, you have to be consistent to maintain your position. He has the ability to play there." However, In May this year, Mayo conducted an interview with Soccer Laduma, in which he revealed that there had been no contact with anyone at the defending champions. "No, I haven't spoken to anyone from Sundowns. Anything outside of football is for my agent to deal with and my focus is on playing. What I can control is what I do on the pitch. I can only control my performances that I dish out week in and week out. I would like to stay at the club that I am at because it is a wonderful club. I remember that I even told my father (Patrick Mayo) even when I was young that I would like to play for Cape Town City. I always liked the brand of football that the club has been playing. I am happy at Cape Town City and I want to win trophies with the club," he said, at the time.
Father's massive influence in potential move
Patrick Mayo, Khanyisa's father and a former Kaizer Chiefs player, has been very vocal about his son's future and will undoubtedly have a big say on where he will play his football if he were to move. In December last year, Mayo Senior raised his concerns over a potential move to the Brazilians, revealing he would only be in favour of it if he were guaranteed to play 90% of games at the Tshwane giants – something which is unlikely, with even stars like Themba Zwane and Peter Shalulile falling victim to the rotation system at the side. "I wouldn't advise him (Khanyisa) to go to Sundowns. I can only say to him if he wants to go to Sundowns I will have my own conditions in his contract. One of those conditions is that he has to play 90% of the games," Mayo Senior told Sowetan. "Sundowns have a large pool of players and some of them are already struggling for game-time. Khanyisa is very young and fragile, so if he is not going to get game time at Sundowns, he will be frustrated. I don't want to see that. He is getting game-time at City, so it doesn't make sense that he joins a team where he won't play," he concluded.
Secret Agent
The Siya crew spoke to a top agent in SA to get their expert understanding on what's going on. For obvious reasons, the agent will remain anonymous.
"With the Khanyisa Mayo deal, I think Cape Town City have been down this road before in a sense that they have, in the last few seasons, sold their best players to Mamelodi Sundowns. The club hand these players new and improved contracts well in advance and they always seem to have what Sundowns are lacking at the time… almost like the fattened cow. With (Surprise) Ralani, they (Sundowns) needed a winger; with (Kermit) Erasmus, they needed a striker. I think it was only with (Terrence) Mashego where they didn't really need a player in that position – but he was the best in the league at the time and he's from Mamelodi, so one can understand the rationale behind his signing. I say that to say this, all of these players were sold to Sundowns regardless of how important they were for City at the time. We can't call City a selling team, no. What we can say is that they are a smart team who seem to know when to let go of their players at the right time and make good profit from them. Somehow, they always manage to attract some good players as well, so the conveyor belt keeps turning. Depending on how bad Sundowns want him and the severity of the injuries to their strikers, I think it's only a matter of time before we see Mayo in Yellow."
Watch This Space
The big question is, will Sundowns to get Mayo at the second time of asking? History has shown that they hardly ever lose out on a transfer target. Their interest in players is often backed by their actions as they spend heavily to land their targets, even if it means outbidding their European counterparts as in the case of Maseko, to continue their dominance locally, while pursuing their continental ambitions. Having lost out on Mayo at the first time of asking, it is unlikely that the Chloorkop-based side would lose out on a target for a second time. With the club competing in the DStv Premiership, the MTN8, The Carling Cup, Nedbank Cup , CAF Champions League and the African Super League, they would want to sort out their striker conundrum by the end of the transfer window that still has three more weeks to run before it slams shut.
