Manyisa is off to Sundowns
Coetzee also on their shopping list.
Mamelodi Sundowns have shocked with an audacious purchase of Oupa Manyisa and are chasing Rivaldo Coetzee from Ajax Cape Town and Xola Mlambo from Bidvest Wits to augment their squad, TAB SPORTS EXPRESS can exclusively reveal. Sundowns have kept mum over the last weekend about transfer targets and made no moves while all around them the other 15 Premier Soccer League clubs have been adding to their rosters for the upcoming campaign, which gets under way on Friday.
But last week Orlando Pirates chairman Irvin Khoza surprised with the announcement he had sold star midfielder Oupa Manyisa to the Brazilians. Manyisa had tried to get away from Pirates several seasons ago and join Sundowns but that bid had been thwarted.
But the international midfielder produced a pale imitation of his past form over the last season as Pirates had their worst campaign for over 20 years, and he was not likely to be able to offer the Buccaneers any more. A change looked sorely needed.
Manyisa will join a club where places in the starting lineup will be closely contested. He will have to battle for a midfield berth against Hlompho Kekana, Tiyani Mabunda and Lucky Mohomi.
There could be another player in that pecking order too as Sundowns have made a bid to buy Mlambo from the champions.
Wits have so far resisted overtures for the 26-year-old but could yet be tempted by Sundowns offering some players in exchange to sweeten the deal, like Mogakolodi Ngele or Cuthbert Malajila who were on loan at Wits from Sundowns last season.
But Wits have only one place left in their squad for a foreigner and so would have to chose between the two in what would be a cash plus player deal. Ngele is from Botswana and Malajila from Zimbabwe.
Sundowns also want Bafana Bafana centre back Rivaldo Coetzee, who tried to force the transfer from Ajax by staying away from the start of their pre-season training.
But the 20-year-old has since returned and apologised as Ajax continue to hold out for a better deal.
Sundowns have a potential problem at centre back where Brazilian Ricardo Nascimento looks likely to miss the next six months as the club send him for much-delayed surgery on a long-standing groin injury.
Wayne Arendse, Motjeka Madisha, Thabo Nthethe and Bangaly Soumaharo are left as the centre back choices but coach Pitso Mosimane wants to have more options if he is to be able to make a proper tilt at retaining the African Champions League title and winning back the domestic league crown over the next nine months.