MBABANE – The pursuit is over!
The high-profile transfer of Royal Leopard midfield maestro Junior Magagula to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has collapsed after AS Maniema Union determined the required fee was simply unaffordable.
According to a source close to the deal, the DRC club confirmed that the valuation of the Ingwe Mabalabala player at E1 million was the sole reason for the breakdown of the transfer.
The source alleged that the club, nicknamed the Greens and Blacks, informed interested parties they could not meet the hefty financial demands set by the player’s current team, effectively ending weeks of speculation regarding Magagula’s potential move to the Central African country.
The talented midfielder’s standout performance for the police side in the ongoing 2025 TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup had initially attracted the interest of both AS Maniema Union and giants AS Vita.
It is particularly noteworthy that it was AS Maniema Union that knocked the Edwin Matsebula-coached side out of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Confederation Cup earlier in the competition, advancing 3-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw on aggregate. That defeat denied Leopard approximately E6.9 million in potential prize money. This is the minimum amount for reaching the group stages.
“AS Maniema have given up the chase for Junior as Leopard demanded E1 million, which they can’t afford,” the source alleged.
The source further claimed that the Greens and Blacks offered a significantly lower amount of around E250 000, which was immediately rejected by Leopard.
Ingwe Mabalabala’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Frank Hurube, rejected the allegations and revealed that the team have not officially approached them regarding Junior.
“We won’t stand on the player’s way, but he is a civil servant and he should engage government for special leave if he wants to leave,” Hurube said.
Maniema who have been drawn in Group B of the Confederation Cup wanted to use the former Moneni Pirates player in this phase of the competition. They are pitted alongside Moroccan giants Wydad AC, Azam FC of Tanzania and Kenya’s Nairobi United FC.
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