A strategic long-term investment in youth development is underway at Chloorkop as the South African champions look to secure one of their brightest teenage prospects for the foreseeable future.
A Siya source close to Mamelodi Sundowns with knowledge of youth contracts has indicated that the teenager, who is part of the Brazilians squad that has traveled to the USA for the FIFA Club World Cup, is believed to have agreed to a long-term deal.
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The insider added that 18-year-old Siyabonga Mabena is believed to be set to sign a five-year deal which could keep him at the club until he is 23-years-old in June 2030.
"The contract which he had been using was the three-year one that he signed when he joined the club from School of Excellency in 2022. That contract is now expiring at the end of the month. Now he is believed to have signed a five-year contract which will run until June 2030. This shows just how much the club believes in their development products. The club apparently believes that Mabena is one of their future stars of the team and they are going to keep him for longer," the source told Soccer Laduma.
Meanwhile, a technical team confidant with intimate knowledge of the Club World Cup preparations indicated that Mabena's inclusion in the FIFA Club World Cup suggests that the technical team and the club have big plans for the Amajita star.
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"Only players who are in the team's future plans are the ones who have traveled with the team to the USA for the FIFA Club World Cup and Siya (Mabena) is part of that team and his new five-year contract proves that he is part of the team for a long time. You know he hasn't played that much this season because of injury but the team has rewarded him with a long-term five-year contract. The technical team is believed to want to give him the chance to play at the Club World Cup against some top teams. They believe he needs to learn from there and gain experience to help him in the local league," the second source told the Siya crew.
The 18-year-old only played less minutes this season due to injury but he has a promising future in South African football.
Soccer Laduma contacted Sundowns for comment but the club had not responded by the time this story was published.
This significant potential contract extension demonstrates Sundowns' long-term vision and commitment to nurturing homegrown talent alongside their recruitment of established stars. For Mabena, the opportunity to potentially face global giants like Borussia Dortmund and Fluminense at the Club World Cup represents an invaluable learning experience that could accelerate his development.
With the club clearly viewing him as a cornerstone of their future midfield plans, the coming seasons could see the Amajita star gradually take on an increasingly prominent role in the Brazilians' domestic and continental campaigns.
