Clubs line up for Bafana Bafana defender Olwethu Makhanya as a fourth Belgian bid has been rejected and Scottish giants Rangers FC show interest, with the centre-back making it clear he wants a move.
Interest in Makhanya is heating up, with iDiski Times understanding that Philadelphia Union have now rejected four separate bids for the Bafana defender, the latest being from a top Belgian club worth more than €3.5-million (R65 million) — comfortably the club’s biggest offer yet for the 22-year-old centre-back.
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In addition to the interest from Belgium, it was reported yesterday that Scottish giants Rangers FC are also on the verge of making a move for Makhanya. iDiski Times understands that the player’s camp are in touch with Rangers, as well as a French and English club.
Philadelphia Union’s refusal to accept any offers thus far has left Makhanya “devastated”, according to sources close to the player.
The situation has been especially though for Makhanya to accept after Union communicated to the player in each of the previous two transfer windows that he would be allowed to leave for Europe during the following window.
That promise, it’s understood, was first made last year to keep him focused on Philadelphia’s Supporters’ Shield-winning campaign, and repeated again in January ahead of this season after Union sold two of their back-four starters — yet each window has come and gone with the MLS side holding firm.
The latest snub is particularly bitter for Makhanya given the context. Two of his former Union teammates have this year completed European moves for fees below the Belgian side’s rejected offer, deals which have only sharpened the sense within the player’s camp that Philadelphia are treating him unfairly.
Makhanya has done little to hurt his stock. He was one of the standout performers in a Union backline that conceded a league-low 35 goals during their 2025 Supporters’ Shield triumph, and he went on to earn a maiden call-up to Hugo Broos’ Bafana Bafana squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup — South Africa’s first appearance at the tournament since 2010.
His profile in Europe has only grown since, with clubs from Belgium, Italy, France, England and the Netherlands all said to have made enquiries over the past year.
Philadelphia, though, remain unmoved. Under new sporting stewardship following Bradley Carnell’s exit during the World Cup break, the Union have leaned on Makhanya’s contract — which runs through 2027 — to knock back every approach while at the same time renege on the assurance they had given the player.
Makhanya, meanwhile, is said to be hugely disappointed with the exit of fellow South African, Carnell, who he has credited with helping him become one of the best defenders in the MLS, after a challenging initial 18 months under American coach, Jim Curtain.
iDiski Times understands Makhanya remains hopeful a resolution can still be found before the window shuts, with his representatives continuing to push his case behind the scenes.
Whether Philadelphia budge before the deadline remains to be seen, but for now, one of South African football’s brightest defensive talents finds himself stuck in limbo — his World Cup exposure boosting his profile in Europe, even as his path there stays blocked at home.