What the Siya crew has been told…

Talks of Maluleka leaving Amakhosi for Mamelodi Sundowns either in a big-money or swap deal have intensified.

The Siya crew reported in a series of articles from June last year that the Chiefs midfielder was on Mosimane’s wanted list – and that hasn’t changed. There has been no official word from Amakhosi yet on whether they will open up talks soon over a new deal with ‘Mido’, who’s tied down to them on his current deal until June 2020.

However, Chiefs are aware of Downs’ interest in one of their ace players.

Discussions behind the scenes as recent as January did not materialise into anything concrete, though the interest spans further back than that.

Sources had indicated then that talks were ongoing for Maluleka to swap the Black and Gold jersey for the Yellow and Blue of the Absa Premiership title holders before the start of the 2018/19 season, but Chiefs wanted Themba Zwane offered as part of the deal. In the end, the Siya crew was told, neither side would compromise, but this hasn’t stopped Mosimane from making his intentions clear.

The Brazilians appear to now have a new card to play!

It also involves a player being traded, goalkeeper Reyaad Pieterse, who has been with Amakhosi before and knows the culture at Naturena.

The Siya crew first broke the news of a possible return to Amakhosi for Pieterse on January 16, however, that move did not materialise, with Chiefs settling for Daniel Akpeyi from Chippa United on transfer deadline day. Sources have told the crew that using Pieterse as leverage to land a high-profile player like Maluleka could probably do the trick for Sundowns.

This, among other possibilities, is the length Mosimane would go to have the Chiefs midfielder join his galaxy of stars.

Maluleka’s stock has most probably risen given how his game-time at the club has improved drastically following the arrival of coach Ernst Middendorp. It is understood Maluleka isn’t among the highest earners at Chiefs, while a player of his calibre earns between R3 million and R4 million per annum in the Premier Soccer League. It’s no se- cret, however, that at Sundowns they pay big money! And this could be Maluleka’s chance to be in that elite bracket, alongside Andile Jali, Anele Ngcongca and Anthony Laffor, who recently renewed his contract at Chloorkop.

Siya sources told the crew that Jali had negotiated a deal worth around R8 million a year all-inclusive on his arrival, while Ngcongca’s contract is understood to have been slightly lower at around R5 million. Laffor, who is admired by Sundowns owner Patrice Motsepe, is also believed to be a high earner.

What could possibly be a rather obvious stumbling block for Sundowns is the fact that his close friend George Lebese has had an incredibly tough time at Chloorkop since joining them from Amakhosi in August 2017. Lebese said he was relieved to be moving to SuperSport United on loan two weeks ago and has been insinuating – on social media at least – that Mosimane makes promises he can’t keep. This will obviously influence Maluleka’s decision, although insiders have suggested that he could be very keen on joining Sundowns.

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