Despite weekend speculation suggesting that Etiosa Ighodaro may have signed with Kaizer Chiefs, Soccer Laduma can confirm that there is no agreement in place between the player and the Soweto giants at this stage.
Amakhosi recently returned to South Africa on Saturday night after concluding their pre-season camp in the Netherlands, where head coach Nasreddine Nabi had the opportunity to assess his squad ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
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The team is now preparing for their high-profile Toyota Cup pre-season clash against Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko, scheduled for this coming Saturday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
Chiefs have already confirmed the arrivals of several new signings including Thabiso Monyane, Paseka Mako, Nkanyiso Shinga, Ethan Chislett, Flavio Silva, and Siphesihle Ndlovu. However, Ighodaro was not among the listed additions following the team’s return from Europe.
“There’s been a lot of talk about Ighodaro joining Chiefs, but the reports suggesting he has signed are inaccurate,” a source close to the situation told the Siya crew. “He is still assessing his options both locally and abroad. Nothing has been concluded,” the source said.
The source close to the player went on to add that images of Ighodaro in Chiefs' colours were ''photoshopped''.
Ighodaro, who spent last season on loan at AmaZulu from Mamelodi Sundowns, is believed to be exploring a potential overseas move, with Moroccan side Maghreb Association Sportive de Fès (MAS Fès) reportedly showing strong interest in the Nigerian forward.
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In the meantime, coach Nabi has also been evaluating talent from within the club, with Kabelo Nkgwesa, Naledi Hlongwane, and Thulani Mabaso from the DStv Diski Challenge (DDC) team all spending time with the first team in pre-season.
With the transfer window still open, Ighodaro’s future continues to attract interest, but for now, a move to Chiefs has not materialised.
Soccer Laduma contacted Chiefs for comment but received no response by the time this report was published. It remains to be seen if Ighodaro could sign for Amakhosi at a later stage of this transfer window.
