Chiefs' silence on Masilela puzzling

MACCABI Haifa say they have given Kaizer Chiefs first option to sign Bafana Bafana left-back Tsepo Masilela, but have not yet had an answer from Naturena.

And unless Chiefs move quickly, they face losing out on the player, with serious interest in his signature also materialising from Spain, Belgium and Holland.

The Israeli club are desperate to off-load Masilela before the transfer window closes at the end of the month and are left paying his wages until January at least.

He still has a contract with Haifa that runs until June 2013.

The Israelis have given a proposal to Chiefs, with a figure of R4m having been previously quoted, but say they have not yet had a reply.

"The issue with Tsepo is very simple from our point of view," said Maccabi Haifa spokesman David Bazak. "We want to sell him and we know that Kaizer Chiefs are interested in the player, so we have given them a proposal and told them how much we believe he is worth.

"We are now waiting for their response. We had hoped to have it by (yesterday), but so far we have heard nothing.

"If they match our valuation, then we are happy for him to go there and we would wish him all the best."

But the player's agent, Mike Makaab, says Chiefs are not the only club who are interested in the player's services.

"There is serious interest from Europe, specifically Spain, Belgium and Holland, and we will probably only know how that develops by the end of the week," Makaab said.

"Chiefs are certainly a strong option for Tsepo, but by no means his only one."

Makaab was also quick to quash reports that suggested Masilela had already agreed personal terms with Amakhosi, claiming they were "utter rubbish".