What the Siya crew has been told…

Kaizer Chiefs appear to no longer be interested in signing Chippa United goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali and are likely to pull out of the race for his signature, the Siya crew has been informed.

With Itumeleng Khune unlikely to have his Chiefs contract extended when it expires in June, Nwabali has been one of the players that the Soweto giants have been following with a possibility to sign as a replacement for the former Bafana Bafana keeper.

However, after playing well at the recent Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast where he helped Nigeria to reach the final, Nwabali’s value skyrocketed as per his employer Chippa’s evaluation.

According to close sources, the Chilli Boys have put a whopping R30 million price tag on the player’s head.

“It is no secret that Chiefs have been assessing options for a goalkeeper to potentially join the club next season. Stanley Nwabali is one of the players that the club has been monitoring and they had hoped to lure him in the same way they did with Daniel Akpeyi a few seasons ago,” said the source.

“But there seems to be a problem as Chippa are looking to cash in on the player after he did so well at Afcon. He is their prized asset. The club is looking for around R30 million for him and at that value not many clubs will be able to afford him, especially in South Africa. The good thing for Chiefs is that Bruce Bvuma has been doing well of late, and there’s also Brandon Petersen waiting in the queue for his chance. Both players recently signed contract extensions and Chiefs may just decide to look for someone who’s going to be a back-up in their goalkeeper search – a youngster,” the source said.

Well-placed sources have suggested that Chippa isn’t willing to lower the price on the 27-year-old and may listen to offers from outside of Mzansi as well in the next transfer window to make as much money as they possibly can.

Following the Afcon, Chippa made their intentions clear about Nwabali when they offered him a two-year contract extension.

“Chippa are confident that they will get the best deal possible for Nwabali. He proved his worth during Afcon and soon after coming back they invited his agent for talks over a new contract. The talks were successful, and the parties agreed on a deal to 2026 at least,” said the source.

Orlando Pirates are understood to also be monitoring the situation as they are one of the clubs expected to reshuffle their goalkeeping department at the end of the season.

“You must understand that Pirates and Chippa enjoy a good working relationship and that is unlikely to change anytime soon. That’s why there was a deal for Thabiso Lebitso from Chippa to Pirates recently, as well as that of Bienvenu Eva Nga from Pirates to Chippa. There is also Goodman Mosele who is on loan at Chippa, and more deals are likely to happen between the two clubs at the end of the season,” the source said.