Despite Percy Tau being one of the most sought-after South African forwards and currently available as a free agent, a PSL powerhouse has surprisingly turned away from a potential high-profile homecoming.
As previously reported by Soccer Laduma, Kaizer Chiefs were believed to have enquired about the former Mamelodi Sundowns forward just about a year ago, but apparently things have changed.
READ: High-Ranking Insider Pushes Pirates Toward Rulani
A high-ranking Naturena insider with direct access to the club's recruitment plans has indicated that Amakhosi are apparently not interested in signing Tau this time around.
"Of course there was a time when the club was interested in signing Percy Tau and that was when he was about to leave Aly Ahly. But no longer. The technical team as well as the recruitment department have ruled out signing Percy Tau this time around. It's apparently not in the coach's plans at the moment. They pulled out of that race," the insider told the Siya crew.
Meanwhile, a second insider operating within the club's inner circle stated that the money issue has also played a part in the club believed to be no longer interested in bringing the Bafana Bafana star on board.
"The team feels that apparently they believe they have learnt a leason from the signing of Khama Billiat and Keagan Dolly where they paid a lot of money but the club believes those returns were not worthy of it. So that's why they are looking at other forward players apart from Percy Tau. So for now he is not one of the targets. But in football you never know what would happen in future. But definitely not now," the second source told Soccer Laduma.
READ: Could Saleng Move To Chiefs: Pirates Update
The 31-year-old has just been released by Qatar SC and he has in the past played for English side Brighton and Hove Albion, and he has been one of South Africa's best players over the past decade.
Soccer Laduma contacted Chiefs for comment but there was no response at the time of publishing this story.
With Tau now looking for a new club after his Qatar adventure came to an end, speculation had been rife about a potential return to South African football. However, it appears Amakhosi are determined to avoid repeating what they perceive as costly mistakes from their recent past. The club's cautious approach suggests a shift in transfer strategy under coach Nasreddine Nabi, with younger, potentially more cost-effective attacking options seemingly preferred to established stars commanding premium wages.
