Chris Katongo a wanted man

Three “big clubs” in the Premier Soccer League are said to be vying for the signature of the former Golden Arrows man.

Katongo was close to sealing a deal with Premiership comeback kids Chippa United until it was revealed that the deal collapsed because of the hefty signing-on fee Katongo had been seeking.

Chippa are said to have had already prepared a two-year deal for Katongo and the club’s CEO Peter Koutroulis slammed Katongo for moving the goalposts once the deal was close to being sealed.

It is now understood that Soweto giants Orlando Pirates, SuperSport United and Bloemfontein Celtic have all made their intentions known regarding the player.

Pirates were initially leading the race for Katongo before the proposed deal with the Chilli Boys went up in flames. And it is now most likely that the striker will be on his way to Bucs.

Katongo won the Player-of-the-Tournament award during the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, in which he captained the winning Zambian side.

SuperSport Unietd are hoping to replace veteran Sibusiso Zuma, who is on his way out of the club after Matsatsantsa a Pitori opted not to renew the former Bafana Bafana striker’s contract and Katongo appears to be the perfect replacement.

Zuma has now being linked with a possible move to the University of Pretoria, although the club has it on record that they have no interest.

Meanwhile, Pirates left-back Thabo Matlaba is said to have attracted interest from several European clubs.

Matlaba made 45 appearances in all competitions, scoring four times and was a key member of the squad during Pirates’ Caf Champions League campaign last year.

The former Free State Stars man has been linked with a move to either Kaizer Chiefs or Mamelodi Sundowns, but Matlaba’s agent Abbi Rasimphi has rubbished those reports, adding that Pirates have the final say on the player’s future.

CITIZEN