Saudi club makes U-turn on Relebohile Mofokeng | OneFootball

Al-Ettifaq make Mofokeng decision

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Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ettifaq have reportedly made a U-turn on their pursuit of Orlando Pirates’ highly rated star Relebohile Mofokeng, who has landed on the radar of several clubs outside of South African shores.

The 20-year-old joined the Soweto giants’ Dstv Diski Challenge [DDC] team from School of Excellence and initially caught the eye on his debut under then-head coach Jose Riveiro at the back end of the 2022/23 PSL campaign.

Since then, the Bucs starlet went on to make a total of 93 appearances across all competitions, chipping in with 18 goals and 22 assists, including netting in the Nedbank Cup and MTN8 finals against Mamelodi Sundowns and Stellenbosch FC respectively.

Mofokeng’s stocks saw a rapid rise in the previous season, where he managed to contribute 12 goals and provided 15 assists in 49 appearances. Moreover, the in-demand youngster is a current Bafana Bafana international, having made his debut in June 2024 under coach Hugo Broos.

While the Sharpeville-born star attracted interest from North Africa and the Gulf region, it was his teammate Mohau Nkota, who secured a move abroad, joining Ettifaq on an unexpected move during the off-season.

This sparked rumors from Saudi Arabia that Ettifaq are also keen on luring Mofokeng to the Middle East, with reports indicating that the Saudi outfit is in active negotiations with the Pirates hierarchy over a potential deal.

However, with a deal yet to materialize in over a month of reported talks between the two parties, new information from Saudi suggests that the club has decided to pull the plug on the signing of Mofokeng as they were unable to strike an agreement.

Now, latest reports from the USA indicate that Major League Soccer (MLS) side Minnesota United have tabled a bid in excess of $ 2 million (R35 million) for Mofokeng’s services, according to American football journalist Tom Bogert.