Partizan have sent in a written offer of R14 million for the Bafana striker, and are hoping to sign Mphela in the January transfer window. Sundowns paid just R1.5m to sign Mphela from SuperSport in 2008.
“I would say the arrival of Mphela is certain, but I will not prejudge, because we have seen the attempts of other clubs to buy him, and the attitude of the Sundowns president,” said Partizan coach Aleksandar Stanojecvic, according to the website mondo.rs.
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| Katlego Mphela |
The Chloorkop side yesterday confirmed that they had received an offer from Partizan, but again insisted their man was going nowhere.
“We did get an offer, but we are not going to let him go,” said Sundowns spokesman Alex Shakoane. “We need him to help us in the title race. If he wants to leave at the end of the season we can discuss it then, but for now we need him.”
Mphela, for his part, would prefer to leave Sundowns in January – “I have done everything in South Africa ... I want to go overseas and play in the Champions League,” he told The Star yesterday. “(But) If they (Sundowns) promise me I can leave at the end of the season and put everything in writing, I will try to help.”
Sundowns have always publicly maintained that if a player wants to go to Europe, and they get a good offer, as Shakoane put it yesterday, “we do not stand in any player’s way”.
Nonetheless, reality has generally proved otherwise, with Siboniso Gaxa basically going AWOL at the start of the season to agitate for a move to Belgian side Lierse.
“I don’t want to do what Siboniso did and burn my bridges, but sometimes it has to come to that point,” said the 26-year-old Mphela yesterday. “I am not getting any younger, I have to think about my career and I think I deserve to move overseas.”
Clearly, Mphela still feels a little aggrieved that Sundowns turned down offers for him ahead of the start of this season, with the striker eventually signing a lucrative new contract believe to be worth around R300000-a-month.
“There were decent offers that came in and nothing happened,” he said. “People speak to you and don’t tell you the truth ... this is not about fighting with anyone, I am begging for an opportunity. I would love to go overseas.”
Mphela’s agent, Glyn Binkin, meanwhile, told The Star that several other teams are currently interested in Mphela, but have been put off making official bids because of Sundowns’ reputation.
“A number of other clubs have expressed an interest but there have been no other offers in writing, because they have been told how difficult Sundowns are,” said Binkin.
“I hope common sense prevails and they give the boy his opportunity.”
One transfer definitely dead in the water, meanwhile, is that of FC Twente’s Bernard Parker to Leicester, following the English side’s signing of Yakubu Aiyegbeni on loan from Everton.
“They’ve signed Yakubu, so I presume they have made a decision, and we will have to look at other options,” admitted Parker’s agent, Mike Makaab, yesterday.
Source -The Star
