The proposed transfer offer for Oswin Appollis and Thabang Matuludi to Orlando Pirates, as previously reported by Soccer Laduma, has now encountered an obstacle.
The problem is that Matuludi sustained an ACL injury during the recent game against SuperSport United.
Sources close to both clubs have indicated that the injury places Matuludi's move in jeopardy, as Pirates were interested in acquiring both players as a package deal.
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"Each and every passing day things are taking a different direction concerning the deal. You remember at first we spoke about City being interested in Katlego Otladisa and could not get him and then Pirates are believed to have offered Phillip Ndlondlo instead? And things stalled a bit. And now, Thabang Matuludi is injured. They can't conclude the deal now because Matuludi is injured. This changes all the dynamics of the negotiations. So, at the moment we don't see the deal happening," the Siya source close to the situation stated.
An insider stated that an ACL injury typically requires a lengthy recovery period, and Pirates may wish to revisit the potential deal at the end of the season, focusing solely on Appollis for now.
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"For now what we know is that it's an ACL and you know such injuries take time to heal and no team would want to sign such an injured player. If anything, maybe they could wait until at the end of the season and see what happens. So, the deal is in a doubt at the moment due to the injury. Even though it could not work now they are still interested in the player. As for Appollis, that means negotiations will take a new twist as Pirates are still interested in him but it won't involve Matuludi at this point but only Appollis, and whatever Pirates are offering,' the second insider stated.
Soccer Laduma reached out to City's Chief Operations Officer, Tincy Tema, who mentioned he could not confirm details of the situation in time.
"My brother it has been a hectic day and I haven't been to the office so there is nothing I can say at the moment. But keep on checking please," Tema told Soccer Laduma.
The Siya crew also contacted Pirates but the club had not responded by the time this report was published.
Appollis was previously linked to Kaizer Chiefs, so it remains to be seen if this might bring Amakhosi back into the equation later in the year, if Bucs can't sign the player in January.
