What the Siya crew has been told…

Question have been raised within the Kaizer Chiefs camp around Leonardo Castro’s injuries as crucial decisions are to be made by the club in evaluating their squad for the 2022/23 campaign.

The Colombian has a niggling injury that he has struggled to shake off and this has affected his gametime in recent times, as well as his performances, while age is no longer on his side.

Castro will be turning 33 in May and is believed to be one of the high earners at the club, and Amakhosi’s top management will be asking themselves if there is a return on investment on the money that they are splashing out.

According to well-placed sources, the 32-year-old is earning close to a whopping R4 million per annum. This is a big-money contract, both from a PSL and South American perspective.

It is believed that the marksman was able to negotiate the lucrative deal two years ago, when he put pen to paper on a new contract. At the time, Chiefs had been handed a transfer ban by FIFA and, with the club unable to sign new players, it gave Castro the leverage to demand a big-money deal.

Indications are that the deal he had negotiated was significantly higher than the original contract he had signed when he joined Chiefs from Chloorkop in 2018.

The Soweto giants had limited options and Castro was able to flex his muscles at the negotiation table. And this is something that Amakhosi don’t take lightly, as seen historically, most notably with Mandla Masango, Tefu Mashamaite and Itumeleng Khune in 2015.

Will this count against him as his existing deal approaches its expiry date?

In addition, according to the information made available to the Siya crew, Castro did not use an intermediary when he signed his latest contract in 2020. It is believed that he dealt directly with the club and he successfully did so as he earned a big-money deal after prolonged negotiations.

In 2020, it worked out well for the South American. However, this time around, it has thrown a spanner into the works.

According to well-placed sources, Castro has not had any communications with the Amakhosi management regarding his future and indications are that he does not know how to approach the current situation and how to navigate the landscape without an intermediary.

As it stands, it’s unlikely that he will be in a position to negotiate a new deal on the same money that he is currently on, either with Chiefs or another club, because at 32 and with injuries troubling him, clubs could see him as having been past his prime.

Sources have suggested that if Castro was to negotiate a new deal with

Amakhosi in the coming months, he would have to take a massive pay cut to remain in Stuart Baxter’s squad beyond this season.

As reported in edition 1265 of Soccer Laduma, with Samir Nurkovic linked with a move back to Europe, indications are that Chiefs could be looking at an all-new strike force next season.

Royal AM’s Victor Letsoalo and Sibusiso Vilakazi from Sundowns, as well as Ethiopian Abubeker Nassir, are some of the strikers that have been linked to the Naturena-based outfit in recent times.

The question remains if Castro will be part of the squad, though you can expect money to be at the centre of any negotiations.

Castro will want to secure another big-money contract, in what could be the last of his professional career, while Amakhosi will want to protect their wage bill and may only push for a new deal if they can sign him on a much lower salary.