Young Africans SC Pesident Eng. Hersi Ally Said says the chances of Stephane Aziz Ki remaining at the club are 60/40.
The Burkina Faso international has become one of the most sought-after talents on the continent since joining the club from ASEC Mimosas and secured the NBC Premier League Golden Boot last season.
His performances in the CAF Champions League has seen the 28-year-old linked with Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns and Pyramids in recent months.
“It’s very tough for us to lose players, especially one like Aziz Ki, I’m not saying we’re going to lose him but there’s a lot of interest coming from a number of clubs, including clubs in South Africa,” he said at the launch of the Toyota Cup on Monday morning.
“But Young Africans has a very strong connection with the player and we’ve done our homework as leaders of the club to make sure the player stays in the club. And the discussion is going very well…
“We will definitely come back and do the [announcement] when we finalise the thing, but for now nothing has been finalised, even though there’s a lot of clubs interested in the player. So the discussion is there, I can say, there’s a big chance for him to stay but we haven’t finalised yet.”
When pressed on the position of the player and whether he is keen to stay with the East African giants, Said admitted he’s happy, but money is what talks at the end of the day for clubs and players.
“He’s been in a position of making it clear he wants to stay and you know I signed him two years ago from ASEC Mimosas and I told him about my project, we want to take this team to the next level with this team as well,” he said.
“He was the key member of the project and plan I was putting in place, so our discussion was the same and he was very keen to say that, I need to be here in Young Africans and at least take this team to the project level we want it to be at.
“So yes he wants to stay but football is business nowadays, you can be tempted to stay but financial approaches can change your mind… so 60 [percent chance he stays], 40 [percent chance he leaves].”
