Johannesburg – Kaizer Chiefs’ Bobby Motaung says the club would not be bullied into offering goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune a new bumper contract that does not meet their strict budget requirements.
Khune is yet to agree to a new deal with Chiefs and has entered into the final six months on his current deal, which means he is allowed to talk to other teams and sign a contract wherever he likes.
“I don’t think we would break the bank. We have standards at Chiefs and criteria of how we deal with our contracts and we stick to that,” Motaung said in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
“If there is a bigger offer, it’s about money for him. We’ve had players who have done that before.
“We won’t be shaken by clubs that offer more money. Players have come and left with this type of situation in the past and we have allowed them.”
Despite having spent his entire career with Chiefs, Khune has been linked with big-money moves elsewhere, including Mamelodi Sundowns and Soweto rivals, Orlando Pirates.
However, Motaung was unfazed by what he called “pressure on the media” to speculate on the future of the country’s top shot-stopper.
“He is our captain, so that question, I don’t know how to answer it, would I like him to stay?
“Khune has been a baby of Chiefs for how many years now? It’s like somebody saying, do you want your son to be your son?
“We’re not in a panic situation as a club. He’s not under pressure as a player. The contract only expires in June.”
Motaung made it clear that Chiefs had been trying to tie Khune down to a new deal for the last 12 months, alluding to a lack of decisive action from the player.
“We’ve been talking to him every month.
“We don’t put a gun to the player’s head. He must know what he wants and when he wants the contract.
“The player must also apply his mind. If he has not applied by now, he should be knowing what he wants.”
Chiefs expect Khune’s agent to be in the country this week to begin negotiating a new deal.
“His agent is not from here, he is from overseas so he’ll be arriving before Friday. We’ll have those discussions when he arrives,” Motaung said.
“It’s unfortunate that his agent is from overseas and he (the agent) felt that he would like to come here in January.
“I don’t know how he manages Khune but we are waiting for him to come. If Khune was managed locally, I think maybe this would have been resolved.” – Sapa