Israeli champions Maccabi Tel Aviv have continued to try to sign Orlando Pirates star Relebohile Mofokeng, according to a reliable source close to the situation.
The Siya crew investigates what could happen after the Tel Aviv club's persistence, taking into account that Pirates insiders had previously denied Israeli reports detailing the pursuit of Mofokeng.
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Their rivals Maccabi Haifa were also linked with the Sea Robbers youngster who recently won the Soccer Laduma Player of the Season award.
Now, a Siya source close to the player has indicated that The Yellows remain huge admirers of the Sharpeville native and believe that a move to Bloomfield Stadium could present him with an introduction to European football.
Sources with an expertise in the Israeli football market have informed the Siya crew that the club’s Sporting Director, Dominic Price, envisions the 20-year-old South African playing a significant role for the team.
Price was previously credited with helping to create development pathways for the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, Stefan Bajcetic, Ben Woodburn and Rhys Williams during his time at Liverpool, where he served as part of the academy setup before later joining the first-team analysis department for the Reds.
He joined Maccabi two years ago and is now eager to continue building his project with the help of the likes of Mofokeng, but according to the insider, Pirates are not convinced.
Bucs are, however, understood to have received another offer, this time in excess of $2.5 million (R44.3 million) for Mofokeng from the Middle East. This is more than what the Tel Aviv club is reported to have wanted to pay, according to Israeli media.
While Soccer Laduma has yet to establish the identity of the club behind the other bid, widespread reports in media have already suggested that Al Ettifaq could be the team interested in signing the Bafana Bafana star.
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The Buccaneers were contacted for clarity and context regarding this information but no response was received by the time this article was published.
After reports in various media last week of Dutch club, PSV's interest to make an even higher bid for Mofokeng, Pirates then released a public statement denying that they had received a bid. Insiders close to the Eindhoven club had also pointed out that they had not made a bid. Though, the reports had not spoken of a concrete bid, but an intention for a bid to be made.
Now, it remains to be seen if reported foreign interest in Mofokeng would eventually result in formal bids that might convince Pirates.
