Cape Town Spurs Chief Executive Officer Alexi Efstathiou has confirmed Kaizer Chiefs are yet to meet their asking price for Asanele Velebayi, whom he labelled as a “diamond”.
Velebayi, 21, is on Chiefs’ target list, but Spurs are not just rolling over after already losing Rushwin Dortley to Amakhosi, while Chumani Butsaka and Ashley Cupido are also chased by the likes of Stellenbosch FC, among others.
- ALSO READ: Spurs Reject Chiefs’ Velebayi Offer
- Spurs CEO Sends Strong Message Over Chiefs’ Velebayi Chase
However, Spurs are holding firm in their asking price for Velebayi, with Efstathiou confirming Chiefs’ offer wasn’t close to the amount they want for the winger, as first reported by iDiski Times.
“We feel we’ve priced him fairly,” he told Andile Ncube on Sports Night Amplified.
“They asked us what we’re looking for and we did tell them. Like any other party would do, they come back with a counter offer and then we either agree or disagree and that’s where we are.
“Since we declined the offer, we have heard nothing back. They know what we asked for. It [Chiefs offer] wasn’t close to what we are asking.”
Efstathiou also highlighted that Spurs have been in the business of developing some of the country’s most-talented players for long – and “diamonds” like Velebayi can’t be sold for cheap.
“Because we’ve been in the game so long, we know when we have a diamond and Asanele is a diamond,” he added.
“Diamonds don’t get sold for cheap, unfortunately not. If you don’t like the diamond then don’t buy it. No one is forcing you to buy anything. You can always look for other diamonds elsewhere.
“We understand our business model, we understand what it takes to develop a player from a financial point of view. Believe you me, it’s not a cheap business.”
The Spurs CEO also dismissed talk that Velebayi has been absent from training, with his side preparing for the start of the Motsepe Foundation Championship in less than two weeks.
