Orlando Pirates are believed to be looking at signing a new central midfielder, this time from Mali who they hope will join the trip to Spain for their pre-season training camp early next month.
An insider with extensive connections across West African leagues has indicated that Pirates are believed to have invited a midfielder.
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The Siya source added that central midfielder, Abdoulaye Mariko is the player invited by Bucs to be assessed, and if all goes well, can participate during the pre-season games in Europe.
"What I can tell you is that the player from Mali, Abdoulaye Mariko is believed to be coming to Pirates this week. I think it's all about the scouts and the recruiters who have identified him but he is a central midfielder. Apparently the technical team will assess him and he is expected to join the club on the trip to Spain," the source told Soccer Laduma.
Meanwhile, an insider with knowledge of squad management stated that Pirates are apparently working on releasing more players to open up space for new arrivals.
"As of now, it's believed that both outgoings and incomings are still being finalised. The management together with the technical team are working on which players will be released to create space for new signings and if all goes well then Abdoulaye Mariko will be one of the incoming players," the second insider told the Siya crew.
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The Mali international is 23-years-old and plays for Djoliba AC, which last season competed in the CAF Champions League, and his experience in the continental tournament should be useful to Pirates this coming season as they once again compete in many competitions.
Soccer Laduma contacted Pirates for comment on this report but there was no response at the time of publishing this story.
The coming days will be crucial as the Sea Robbers assess the Malian before potentially including him in their Spanish training camp, where Ouaddou will begin shaping his squad for the upcoming campaign.
