Orlando Pirates have seemingly given up pursuing Stellenbosch left-back Fawaaz Basadien.
The Bafana Bafana mainstay was one of many stars the Buccaneers tried to sign in the January transfer window but failed to do so. Jose Riveiro’s side, crippled with injuries, has lacked depth heading into the second half of the season, allowing the player-laden Mamelodi Sundowns to stretch their lead.
Orlando Pirates lie sixteen points behind the reigning champions, but with four games in hand and a top-of-the-table rematch scheduled in under a week, it’s still all to play for.
New targets confirmed
According to reports, the Soweto giants will prioritise defenders in the winter window following several key injuries during the season, including Olisa Ndah and Thabiso Sesane.
Orlando Pirates have circled Stellenbosch centre-back’s Thabo Moloisane and Olivier Toure as offseason targets:
“As far as defenders are concerned, Pirates’ main target is Thabo [Moloisane], and that’s why they are set to table an offer for him,” a source revealed.
“They are looking at strengthening the central defence as they are looking at having a strong backline next season where they will compete in almost all the competitions, including the CAF Champions League. Moloisane has grown as a player. He is playing in Africa with Stellenbosch and Pirates are looking at that as an advantage to sign him. You know the club is also looking at right back and left back”.
Regarding Orlando Pirates’ interest in Toure, the source revealed, “he is still on the club’s [Orlando Pirates’] radar, and it’s just a matter of when the club will be taking the interest forward by making a formal offer,
“If you look around the league, you will notice that he is one of the reliable and consistent defenders.”
What defenders should Orlando Pirates be eyeing?
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