Kaizer Chiefs’ bid to sign Nigerian forward Etiosa Ighodaro from Premier Soccer League rivals Mamelodi Sundowns is turning into a drawn-out transfer saga due to the South African top flight quota rule, Footynaija.com reports.
Etiosa, who impressed last season during a loan spell at AmaZulu from Mamelodi Sundowns, was widely considered a new Chiefs’ signing with Amakhosi including the 24-year-old in their pre-season training camp squad to the Netherlands back in June.
However, that highly anticipated move has yet to materialize. According to close sources, the stumbling block is the PSL’s strict limit of five foreign players per club, a quota Kaizer Chiefs have already filled.
Despite this, The Glamour boys remain undeterred and are currently exploring ways to complete the signing of Ighodaro as revealed by a club insider via quotes from The South African.
“He [Ighodaro] is training on his own. It’s believed that his head is affected by the interest from Kaizer Chiefs and that he still has a running contract with Sundowns, so he is at a crossroads right now.
“But because he wants to remain fit, he is training on his own for now. Kaizer Chiefs haven’t given up on him. They are still working behind the scenes to try and get him for this season.
“They have a chance of registering him as a local player if they can sign him as he is waiting for his Permanent Residence Permit papers as well. So Chiefs are looking at all those possibilities to sign him.”
Ighodaro arrived in South Africa as a 19-year-old, joining Mamelodi Sundowns from Abuja College in 2021. While he is yet to feature for The Brazilians, he has enjoyed loan spells at U. Pretoria, Chippa Utd, Supersport Utd and AmaZulu FC.
Across those three loan spells, he amassed 97 appearances and scored 25 goals. Kaizer Chiefs are still actively pursuing Ighodaro’s signature, but they must first find a way through the Premier Soccer League’s red tape.