Future hangs in the balance for Orlando Pirates striker

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Zakehle Lepasa‘s future with Orlando Pirates is unclear after the striker was excluded from the pre-season squad to Spain.

The 27-year-old former TS Galaxy man was recovering from injury and did not feature in any official matches for the Buccaneers last season. Lepasa’s contract has come to an end, but Soccer Laduma reported that negotiations between the player and the club have been ongoing.

The Orlando Pirates striker has not featured since the 2023/24 season, where he scored 10 goals across all competitions.

“His contract was supposed to run out at the end of June and talks have been ongoing on for some time. It’s believed that there was a contract proposal from the club with the player and his representatives having a counterproposal and now Lepasa is waiting on Pirates. Everything now remains a decision to be made by the club and that’s what he is waiting for,” a source told Soccer Laduma.

Orlando Pirates striker still nursing injury?

Although the striker did not travel with the team to Spain, it is believed that Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou is keen to keep him in the squad.

“He did not travel to Spain as the talks have stalled as he is waiting on the team, but it’s believed that the new head coach is happy with what he has seen from him at training. If all goes well he could join the team in Spain at a later stage. It is in the hands of the club,” the source added.