JOHANNESBURG – Mamelodi Sundowns are set to capture the signature of SuperSport United and Bafana Bafana utility player Aubrey Modiba.
The Brazilians have been after the services of Modiba for the past two years, and they are set to finally have him in their arsenal.
Matsatsantsa A Pitori put a R20million price tag on Modiba in January. Sundowns couldn’t offer something near to what SuperSport were asking in the previous transfer window.
But Matsatsantsa are ready to sell him to Sundowns, according to their chief executive Stanley Matthews.
“We’ve been in talks with Mamelodi Sundowns. They called us to see if we are open to an offer for Aubrey,” Matthews said in an exclusive interview with Independent Media.
“I did indicate that we will be open to an offer, as long as it will be a substantially improved offer from what they gave us (in the previous window).
“They have stated that they are prepared to make an attractive offer for him.”
Modiba can operate in a number of positions. He can play as a left-back, wing-back, left winger or an attacking midfielder.
“They have offered me a couple of players as part of the deal, and I went back to them and said ‘no’ to those players. It is going to be a pure cash deal,” Matthews added.
The Premier Soccer League was set to kick off last Saturday, but the South African Football Association (Safa) deemed that the match officials were unfit to officiate the games, and suggested the first week of August for the resumption – something that the league hasn’t accepted.
PSL chairman Irvin Khoza is currently engaging stakeholders and will go back to the Board of Governors to map the way forward about the completion of the 2019/20 season.
“Until we know if we will play or not, we haven’t pushed the deal,” Matthews said. “For example, if the league is called off, I’ll push the deal quickly. If I still have six games left and I’m chasing fourth spot, I don’t want to start negotiations around Aubrey Modiba. We are just sitting in limbo at the moment.”
Sundowns are busy refreshing their squad. They have beefed up their squad with the services of Jody February, Ricardo Goss, Gift Motupa, Haashim Domingo, Grant Margeman and George Maluleka.
“If you ask me if there’s a realistic chance that Aubrey joins Sundowns next season, I’ll have to say yes,” Matthews added.
