LATEST: Letsoalo set for shock move as Pirates, Chiefs miss out?

Recently, Orlando Pirates were dramatically reported to be in pole position to secure the services of in-demand Bafana Bafana and Royal AM star Victor Letsoalo.

Letsoalo had been linked with a sensational move to Kaizer Chiefs during the previous transfer window, and those rumours had resurfaced at various times this year. However, the player has also drawn interest from Pirates recently.

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Royal AM CEO Sinky Mnisi previously insisted that Letsoalo ‘is a Rolls-Royce’ and Chiefs should not table an offer for a ‘Mazda 323’. According to several reports, the ‘price tag’ for Letsoalo may well have escalated from R4-million before the beginning of this season to R20-million now.

That price tag may have understandably dissuaded the Soweto giants, while Lesoalo himself was said to have been unhappy by the valuation that priced him out of the market. Reported, he then submitted an official transfer request last month, and according to iDiski Times, Royal AM conceded that R5-million would be enough to facilitate his exit.

In the end, the report by iDiski Times suggests that an offer of R3-million from Sekhukhune United was accepted by Royal AM. It’s said that Letsoalo signed off on a three-year deal with a one-year option to extend.

Interestingly, this stands in stark contrast to the recent comments made by new Royal AM head coach Khabo Zondo, who had seemingly made it clear that the club wiould not sell Letsoalo.

“As a coach, I can’t let Letsoalo go. I will be happy to have a player like him in the squad. He’s a very important figure in the team,” Zondo said.

“If you look at the number of goals that he’s scored recently, you’ll understand why every coach would like to work with him.

“It’s very important that we acknowledge the fact that we’re going to the Confed Cup. We’ll play so many matches and we’ll need that depth in personnel to compete fairly,” he added.

“So, we need every striker that we have. Look at a team like Sundowns, how many players do they have? Many, because they play many games.”

Understandable that Royal AM had wanted retain the services of Letsoalo

All this talk comes after yet another standout season for the striker, who scored 17 goals across all competitions in 2021-22. He currently remains scontracted to Royal until June 2023.

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