Cape Town Spurs chairman Ari Efstathiou has revealed that a disagreement over the transfer fee is blocking Asanele Velebayi’s move to Kaizer Chiefs.
The young winger has been a sought-after talent since his impressive performances in the DStv Premiership last season. Despite the club’s relegation, Velebayi has attracted interest from several teams, with Chiefs leading the race.
However, negotiations between the two clubs have hit a snag. Efstathiou has publicly stated that Chiefs’ offer for Velebayi falls short of Spurs’ valuation of the player.
Speaking to Metro FM’s Sports Night Live With Andile Ncube, Spurs’ CEO Efstathiou confirmed negotiations between the clubs.
“Yes (Chiefs made an approach to buy Velebayi),” Efstathiou said,
“We priced him fairly. They asked us what are we looking for and we told them and like any other party do, they came back with ( a counteroffer) and you either agreed or disagreed. That’s where we are.
“Since we declined the offer we have heard nothing back, so I can’t say it’s ongoing, no.
“They know what we asked for. I would say the (offer) wasn’t close to what we were asking,” he said.
The transfer saga has been further complicated by reports of the player’s parents being involved in the negotiations amid accusations of interference from both sides.
“I don’t want to accuse anyone, but sometimes when people are talking from club to club, I think it’s cordial to keep your conversations confidential,” Efstathiou said.
“It would be a professional thing to do, not divulge some of that information.
“Somehow that information tends to leak out. I don’t know where it leaks out, maybe end-to-end there’s a hole in the system and information drips out, I’m not sure.”
Efstathiou defended the club’s valuation of Asanele Velebayi. He emphasized the player’s exceptional talent, stating that the 21-year-old is far ahead of his peers and many senior players, having already accumulated 99 professional matches for the club.
Efstathiou highlighted the club’s role in developing Velebayi since he joined as a 10-year-old, asserting that Spurs deserve to be compensated fairly for their investment in the player’s career.
“We have been in the game for long and know when we have a diamond. And Asanele is a diamond. Diamonds don’t get sold for cheap, unfortunately,” Efstathiou said.
“If you don’t like the diamond then don’t buy. No one is forcing you to buy anything, you have to look for other diamonds elsewhere.
“To end off, we also know and understand our business model. We understand what it takes to develop a player from a financial point of view, it’s not a cheap business.
“Those who haven’t done it should rather stay out of it because they don’t know what they are talking about. We know from the last drop of water we used to water our fields how much it cost and one needs to take all the costs into account.”