Chiefs set sights on a new African striker – report

As Kaizer Chiefs begin planning for the next transfer window, it’s become evident they will be looking to recruit a new striker.

According to KickOff.com, part of that search has taken them to Tanzania where Young Africans striker Fiston Mayele has reportedly caught their eye.

The 28-year-old forward has scored 18 goals in the league, and has regularly hit the back of the net in CAF club competitions as well, with his stocks quickly rising as a result.

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Offers are said to have come in from North Africa and Turkey, and so it remains to be seen if Chiefs will make a realistic offer.

“Kaizer Chiefs did make an official request on the possibility of opening negotiations, but have not made an official offer yet,” a KickOff source commented. “We have had teams that have proposed half a million US dollars and I’m pretty sure that we can get more for him if we hold out a bit.”

This news comes as multiple reports suggest Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana is set for the exit doors at Naturena. He arrived at Chiefs with great expectations prior to the start of this season, and after scoring against SuperSport with a well-taken header and then recording a hat-trick from the penalty spot against Stellenbosch, it was felt that he could go on to reach great heights.

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However, after battling with some injury troubles, the towering forward has failed to get back to his best – and was once notably even booed by some spectators, who expressed their frustrations with his performance in the second half in particular against Richards Bay back in March.

He has mainly played off the bench since then, and recent rumours have suggested he could be one of the players facing the exit door.

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In a damning report on FARPost, it’s now emphatically suggested that he has been formally told he has “no future in the squad”, with a player – who requested anonymity – suggesting the news was ‘inappropriately’ shared in front of the team.

“It’s pretty disappointing how the coach told Caleb that he will be gone at the end of the season. If that’s the case, you call a player into the office and explain your decision to him privately,” said the player, according to FARPost.

“It’s a bit inappropriate to say it in front of teammates. They were not there when the club brought the player. It gets us as players wondering if our coach would ever stand for us to protect us.

“Last season, the coach would tell you guys [the media] that some of us are not good enough. He will get rid of many of us. It affects us as players. He must protect us. I’d imagine what he did to Caleb will affect his confidence. It’s really disappointing,” the player said.

Bimenyimana obviously occupies a foreigner spot in the Chiefs ranks, and so it will now be interesting to see whether the club does look to prematurely offload the 25-year-old.

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BIMENYIMANA OUT, MAYO IN FOR CHIEFS?

Increasingly – after another inconsistent season draws to a close – it’s become clear that Chiefs need to embark on an aggressive recruitment drive once again, and Cape Town City striker Khanyisa Mayo is one player who has regularly been linked with the Soweto giants.

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The 24-year-old has scored 11 goals across all competitions this season, and the word from the Chiefs camp has suggested that he is one of the players they have been keeping an eye on.

In the latest issue of Soccer Laduma, it’s suggested that Chiefs could be look to spend big in order to reignite negotiations for the youngster who has previously seemed to have a ‘no sale’ tag placed on him by Cape Town City.

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