Kaizer Chiefs confirm Itumeleng Khune talks

Kaizer Chiefs Marketing Director Jessica Motaung has confirmed talks between the club hierarchy and goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune.

Khune is facing a bleak future as a Chiefs player following the expiry of his contract on 30 June.

And while Chiefs previously announced that his previous contract was the final one with the club, Khune has often appeared reluctant to retire.

When Khune was honoured for his 25 years of services by Amakhosi, he was adamant it wasn’t his farewell as many believed.

He is on record to say he wants to play until he’s 40, and with three years left for him to reach that age, it remains to be seen what the future holds for him.

Now, Jessica said there are ongoing discussions behind the scenes with Khune, and that Chiefs will make announcements when the time is right.

She said the discussions are currently around the opportunities available to Khune.

Chiefs previously said a non-playing position would be made available for Khune’s consideration upon the expiry of his playing contract.

KAIZER CHIEFS IN TALKS WITH ITUMELENG KHUNE

“We are certainly in discussions with Khune but the club will make announcements,” confirmed Jessica to local reporters.

“It’s been 25 years and he is like a little brother to me. We are having discussions around what the opportunities for him are, and we are looking forward to announcing that in the future.”

VETERAN GOALKEEPER A ONE-CLUB MAN?

Havi spent all his professional career at Chiefs, Khune would certainly want to be counted among the players who played for one club.

Not many local footballers have achieved that status in their professional careers, and Khune could certainly be among those.

Happy Jele came close to achieving that from the current generation of players, but he moved to Royal AM after 16 with Orlando Pirates.

Khune had that opportunity to jump ship in 2015 when Chiefs released him due to his high salary demands.

However, he rejected all the offers presented to him and went back to Chiefs to apologise and asked them to take him back.

And the Chiefs management accepted his apology and handed him a new deal.

There are two former Chiefs players that come to mind when one talks about one-club men in recent years, and they are Thabo Mooki and Gerald Sibeko.

NB: You are more than welcome to add those you remember in the comments section below…