Township Rollers are planning an audacious swoop for Mochudi Centre Chiefs midfielder Elvis Meleka. The player’s contract situation at their current clubs has opened the door for Rollers to capitalise on any potential mishaps.
The defensive midfielder was arguably the best player in the league last season; he won the Player of the Season award.
Rollers coach Madinda Ndlovu is a long term admirer of Meleka, and reports have indicated that he had planned to sign the player during the July-August transfer window. He is set to reignite his pursuit of the highly rated defensive midfielder.
They previously worked together at Magosi during the club’s most successful era in recent times where Meleka was a mainstay in Madinda’s side that won back to back league titles. The possible arrival of Meleka could strengthen the club’s midfield as the Zimbabwean reportedly wants a strong midfield pairing made up of Meleka and Lawrence Majawa.
Majawa and Meleka’s partnership would give the green light for Maano Ditshupo to operate in a more advanced midfield role.
Insiders have revealed that the Zimbabwean is among a host of Magosi players who do not have official contracts but the club could still demand a transfer fee for the player if Rollers show legitimate interest. Rollers have reportedly been informed that there is a lot of unrest in the Chiefs camp as most players are contemplating to look for greener pastures.
In other transfer news, Popa have withdrawn their interest in signing Nico United winger Topo Piet. Rollers had previously inquired about the player and they were expected to make an offer this month. Popa’s leadership was divided when discussing the potential transfer of Piet.
Managing director, Somerset Gobuiwang reportedly opposed the signing of Piet as he cited the existing number of midfielders already at the club while chairman Jagdish Shah is believed to be an admirer of the skilful winger. However, Shah’s admiration has not yielded a bid from the club and they seem to have abandoned their interest.
Piet is in the final six months of his contract and Gazette Sport understands that the player is yet to be offered a contract extension by the Selibe Phikwe based side. Under FIFA rules, the winger will be allowed to engage in transfer talks with other clubs because his contract has six months left.
Nico are facing a race against time to retain their player beyond this season and they also face the risk of losing the star player on a free transfer in June if he does not sign a contract extension.
With a tally of six league goals already, he will surely have clubs queuing up to sign him in the current transfer window.