Reliable sources have told iDiski Times that Kaizer Chiefs are interested in two Bafana Bafana players, even though one almost seems out of reach.
After a great performance at the recent AFCON in Côte d’Ivoire, Chiefs look to have revived their interest in chasing the services of Bafana Bafana midfield strongman Sphephelo ‘Yaya’ Sithole, who featured in all the South African national team matches in this tournament.
Sithole, who currently plays for CD Tondela in the Portugal Liga 2, and has his contract expiring at the end of this season, is not short of offers, as reported by iDiski Times last week and confirmed by his agent.
It is not the first time that Chiefs have been linked with the KwaZulu-Natal academy product, who has been based in Portugal for six years now since leaving the academy to link up with Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon’s juniors.
Sithole, a member of the 2015 Amajimbos squad under Molefi Ntseki, which participated in the FIFA U17 World Cup tournament in 2015, is not being linked with Chiefs for the first time. When his former club B-SAD (previously known as Belenenses) were relegated from the Portuguese Primeira Liga, an interest was shown in his services, but nothing materialised after that.
With his contract still having an extra year before it expires at the end of next season and coupled with his outstanding performances at the AFCON, where he featured in all seven matches, playing alongside another Bafana midfieldgeneral in Teboho Mokoena, pricing the 24-year-old away from a European football could prove to be a tough mission for Amakhosi.
Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has already made the call that he would like to see more South African players making it to the top leagues in Europe and Sithole, who has previously been linked with clubs in the German Bundesliga, French Ligue 1 and now Italian Serie A, is also believed not to be so keen to come to the South African Premier Soccer League (PSL).
Another Bafana Bafana player from this AFCON squad, who has been linked with Chiefs, has been Polokwane City attacker Oswin Appollis, who was also instrumental in the Rise and Shine’s hard- fought 1-0 win over Moroka Swallows this past weekend.
Several reports linked Appollis to Chiefs before the AFCON, but nothing materialised from that but it’s a pursuit that is expected to be revived towards the end of this season and he will also not come cheap anymore with the international caps from the AFCON and the international friendly matches lined- up for Bafana Bafana against Algeria and Andorra in March, also added to the equation.
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