Ex-Mamelodi Sundowns coach Mosimane: Maybe it is Sirino's last chance to join Al Ahly

Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane says it could be Gaston Sirino’s last opportunity to join the Egyptian giants from Mamelodi Sundowns.

The Cairo side has been chasing after Sirino’s signature for the past two seasons since Mosimane was at the helm of Sundowns.

Now that the ex-Bafana Bafana coach is at the reigning African champions, interest in the Uruguayan appears to have increased but Mosimane says it has nothing to do with him being in charge of Al Ahly.

With Sirino now 29-years-old, Mosimane feels it could be the player’s final opportunity to make a big move to Egypt.

“He wants to play for Ahly, that’s a fact,” Mosimane told the South African Football Journalists Association as per Phakaaathi.

“Sirino is 30, maybe it is his last chance, he is fighting for that. He has to do it the right way. If Sundowns want to release Sirino, they can, if they don’t … All you guys know that Al Ahly were asking about Sirino when I was at Sundowns, it is just a perception that I want Sirino. I am in the hot seat, I am not angry about it. When I was at Sundowns I said to Sirino, ‘Don’t go, stay here!’ They know him because they played against him.”

Sundowns have placed a R92 million price tag on Sirino, while the nine-time African champions are prepared to part ways with R46 million after an initial R18 million bid.

This has prompted Downs to say they are closing discussions on the player with Al Ahly and will only entertain the Egyptians if they deliver the desired amount.

“Ahly want Sirino, they spoke to Sundowns officially, a lot is happening, the president of Sundowns was here at the Champions League final. I didn’t meet him … he was probably very busy,” said Mosimane.

“You can’t tell me there have never been talks for Sirino. There have been talks even at that [presidential] level. It is unbelievable. One day he [Sirino] said to me that I was the first person he met in South America, who said ‘come to South Africa and do well here and probably you will move to Europe or whatever. He was 25 or 26 at that time.

“Sundowns signed Peter Shalulile, Kermit Erasmus, it is a football ecosystem. Al Ahly players have signed for teams in the Premier League. It is an equal system.”

Sirino is reportedly refusing to play in protest over Downs holding on to him, but the club insists he is sidelined by injury.

Since his arrival at Chloorkop in January 2018 from Bolivian side Bolivar, the Uruguayan has featured in 100 Sundowns matches across all competitions, scoring 24 goals and providing 29 assists.