- Cape Town City FC chairman John Comitis confirmed that the club held talks with Orlando Pirates over 18-year-old Emille Witbooi
- Pirates' interest in Witbooi emerged after Relebohile Mofokeng departed for Belgian club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise
- Comitis revealed the club's position on Witbooi's future and hinted that a move could still happen before the end of the season
Cape Town City FC chairman John Comitis has publicly confirmed that the club held discussions with Orlando Pirates over the potential signing of teenage midfielder Emille Witbooi during the recent transfer window.
Comitis made the admission in an interview with KickOff, revealing that while Pirates did make contact, the two clubs were unable to reach an agreement that satisfied Cape Town City's valuation of the player.
**Pirates Targeted Witbooi as Mofokeng Replacement**
Pirates' pursuit of the 18-year-old came after Relebohile Mofokeng completed a move to Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, leaving the PSL champions in need of an attacking midfielder. Cape Town City reportedly set a price tag of €1 million (approximately R18.7 million) for their prized asset, a figure Pirates were unwilling to match.
"We saw a lot of media frenzy in the kid, we were very happy to listen to offers, we did speak to Orlando Pirates, but nothing materialised," Comitis said.
Promotion Battle Keeps Witbooi at Cape Town
With no deal forthcoming, Cape Town City have chosen to retain Witbooi as they push for promotion back to the PSL. Comitis was clear that the club's priority for now is keeping the squad stable and focused on their promotion campaign.
"We decided to keep Emile Witbooi to assist us this season, there is still a lot of interest, we may still do something before the end of the season," Comitis said.
He added that the club remains confident they will eventually receive their asking price. "At this stage we are very focused to keep him here so that he can assist with the promotion battle. Everybody knows the value of the player, and we will get the value, we are not concerned about that."
Witbooi is reported to have been eager to join Pirates, viewing a move to the Soweto giants as a stepping stone towards a career abroad. Despite the transfer collapsing, interest in the youngster has reportedly not faded, and Comitis left the door open for a deal to materialise before the close of the current season.
"The team is settled now, there is nothing happening, we just focusing on matches game by game now. We will see how it goes, one game at a time," the chairman concluded.
Source: Briefly News