Mamelodi Sundowns' ambitions to step their foot towards conquering the continent know no limits, with the DStv Premiership champions having cast their eyes on Angolan star Gilberto.
Gilberto currently does duty for Angolan champions Petro Luanda.
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This website has gathered authoritative information from Luanda that Sundowns did not only show interest but tabled an offer as far back as end of January.
That offer was turned down by the rich Angolans with Gilberto having his own reservations about moving to South Africa.
Though they are in the COSAFA region, the DStv Premiership is not a popular destination for Angolans with only a few having played here.
At present, only Jo Paciencia is on the books of Cape Town City.
Petro have also turned down offers of 500 000 Euros (approx. R10 million) for their blonde-haired star, which came from Turkish clubs that included Sivasspor.
It is said Petro are prioritizing moving Gilberto to Europe, where they believe they stand to get more money from his transfer.
However, with Gilberto due to move into the last year of his contract, the club will be tempted to relook their approach and take the best offer in the next transfer window.
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This could then provide a window of opportunity for Sundowns to knock again on the Petro window with the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup being dangled as an attraction.
The Brazilians ended the season with Abdelmounaim Boutouil (Morocco), Junior Mendieta and Matias Esquivel (Argentina), Brazil's Lucas Ribeiro Costa and Marcelo Allende (Chile) as the five foreigners on their books.
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