Kaizer Chiefs raised speculation regarding goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune's future, who was strongly linked with a move to Sekhukhune United, after leaving him behind on their pre-season tour of Turkey.
Khune is one of the players whose contracts have come to an end at Chiefs since the dawn of July.
However, unlike the likes of Keagan Dolly, Siyethemba Sithebe, Njabulo Ngcobo and Sifiso Hlanti, who have all been released, Amakhosi are yet to officially make a decision on the 37-year-old shot-stopper's future.
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The Glamour Boys Marketing Director Jessica Motaung told journalists at the Toyota Cup press conference on Monday that they are in discussions with the veteran goalkeeper and are exploring in what role can he be retained after spending 25 years at the club.
However, Chiefs have not kept their word in the past in offering their legends non-playing roles within the club, as the likes of Siphiwe Tshabalala, Bernard Parker, Tinashe Nengomasha, Jimmy Tau, Reneilwe Letsholonyane and Willard Katsande, to name a few, had to face the harsh reality of fending for themselves elsewhere after their contracts expired at the twilight of their careers.
What complicates Khune's future is the fact that he still has ambitions of guarding the posts, running on the green grass and dishing out volleyed passes, within the 18-yard parameters, for at least a couple of years but the Soweto giants have made it clear that kind of option is no longer available at the club.
The Bafana Bafana goalkeeper attracted strong interest from Sekhukhune during the course of the 2023/24 season, who were offering the acrobatic goal-minder a three-year contract and a role post his playing career, according to Soccer Laduma.
KickOff spoke to an agent familiar with these types of transfers in the PSL, on whether Babina Noko or a team of a similar stature can actually afford to bring Khune on board.
"Look my brother, Khune's value has dropped significantly, so moving to a team like Sekhukhune would not be an issue at all financially for the club," an agent told Kickoff, on condition of anonymity.
"If you check his stats, they don't really look good at this stage and he has not been playing regularly for some time.
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"So if you talk about a salary bracket, also considering his age, he would no longer be at the level he was at Chiefs, so a team like Sekhukhune can easily afford him. Remember, Sekhukhune also signed a couple of players from Chiefs recently like [Daniel] Cardoso, who was on a high salary.
"At this stage, if he were to continue playing, it is more of him wanting a team to play for in the PSL rather than PSL teams wanting him," the secret agent added.