The Siya crew has been informed that Kaizer Chiefs did make a serious effort to sign Thabo Cele, but the player could not turn an opportunity down to extend his career in Europe.
A target for Amakhosi for a few years now, Cele was announced as a new player for Russian Premier League side Fakel Voronezh, following his exit from Polish side Radomiak.
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Despite making an offer for the midfielder, it appears Amakhosi fell short due to the fact that he still wanted to play in Europe, a source revealed to the Siya crew.
Cele is believed to have been open to the idea of playing for Chiefs, but things changed when interest from Russia came through. The only worry, it's understood, is that he might not be in Hugo Broos' eyes to make the final Bafana Bafana squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast in January.
"Chiefs tabled a very good offer. They were amicable in the way they conducted the deal to get him. They really wanted him because they knew Thabo would add value to the team. It would have been a good move for Thabo because he would have been right under Hugo Broos' nose. It would have made his chances a bit better to get into the national team for AFCON," the source said.
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"But this offer came along, which was a club to club deal and it convinced Thabo to stay in Europe. We know that he always wanted to stay in Europe, but he also wanted to try to get into the AFCON squad. It was obviously a difficult decision for him to choose staying in Europe or coming to Kaizer Chiefs because he loves Kaizer Chiefs. But they made a really good offer to get him. But it wasn't about the money. It was the fact that this opportunity came in Europe and he wanted to explore the opportunity of staying in Europe a bit longer. He wanted to spend a bit more time in Europe."
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