Mamelodi Sundowns have secured Ecuador international midfielder Jhegson Méndez on a pre-contract, with the 29-year-old set to join the Brazilians in January.
The move completes a pursuit that appeared dead only weeks ago. As iDiski Times exclusively reported in September, Sundowns had ended their interest after being rebuffed by Independiente del Valle.
The club has since found a breakthrough and agreed terms directly with the player, and Méndez is now expected to arrive at Chloorkop when the transfer window re-opens.
A long-held target finally lands
Méndez has been capped 38 times by the Ecuadorian senior national team and is regarded as one of the leading defensive midfielders in South America.
The Ecuadorian-born player has also played in the United States with Orlando City and LAFC, in Brazil with São Paulo, and in Spain with Elche. He has represented Ecuador at a World Cup.
Sundowns’ interest was first reported in iDiski Times’ Rumour Mill, which also corrected an earlier link to Jordy Alcívar. The player Sundowns were actually chasing was his Independiente del Valle teammate, Méndez.
Squad reinforcement
Méndez’s arrival adds quality and experience to the Sundowns engine room that endured a massive loss, in quality and psychologically to the squad with the tragic passing of Jayden Adams.
It follows the club’s recent signing of Thabo Cele as a free agent while the likes of Marcelo Allende’s long-term future remains uncertain with the player in the final year of his contract.
Story by Lorenz Kohler (@Lorenz_KO).