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Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
TEENAGE Highlanders striker Thomas Chideu has made the grade at South African Premiership outfit Ajax Cape Town where he was on a week-long trial.

Negotiations between Bosso and Ajax Cape Town for the services of the promising 18-year-old striker are expected to start before the end of this week.

Renowned football agent Gibson Mahachi of Futbal Sports Management, who facilitated Chideu’s trial stint, confirmed that the player was on his way out of Bosso.

“What I can confirm is that Chideu has done well and impressed Ajax Cape Town’s technical team.

“He’s also happy that he made the grade and is really looking forward to taking another step in his profession. However, we’ll wait for a few days to know how negotiations have gone,” said Mahachi.

Chideu signed a two-year contract with Bosso in January after making a lasting impression on Highlanders coach Bongani Mafu on his first day at the Bulawayo giants’ trials.

The former Prince Edward High schoolboy’s move to Ajax Cape Town is likely to ease part of Bosso’s financial woes as the club has a debt thought to be hovering around half-a-million dollars.

At Ajax Cape Town, Chideu will join Milton Ncube, who joined the South African side last July as a free agent from Highlanders.

Highlanders’ chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede said: “As Bosso, we always pride ourselves as the best platform to market a player. Chideu grabbed the opportunity to play for Highlanders with both hands and has always been professional in his approach, no wonder he impressed at Ajax Cape Town. It’s our hope that his move will open gates for more of our players.”

Ajax Cape Town have also invited defender Teenage Hadebe, who is on loan at Highlanders from Bantu Rovers, for trials.

However, Tshintsha Guluva are said to have advised Bosso not to release the national Under-23 defender after holding a meeting with him.

It is believed that Rovers are working with their overseas associates towards organising Hadebe and other players’ trial stints at various European destinations.

Bosso will replace Chideu with 18-year-old Obert “Adebayor” Tafira, a former Prince Edward High School striker, who has been training with the club for about two months.

Tafira was Chideu’s schoolmate in high school and they played together for the first team.

Highlanders are also closing in on 22-year-old Bulawayo Chiefs’ forward Ishmael Wadi, who is also a prime target of log leaders Chicken Inn.

Chiefs have responded to Bosso’s approach by spelling out their demands for the release of Wadi, whom they are willing to loan out for six months.

Chiefs want Highlanders to release some players in exchange for Wadi as they prepare to launch a serious assault on the Zifa Southern Region League championship.

Chiefs have identified Valentine Ndaba among the players they want in exchange for Wadi.

Chicken Inn only wrote to Chiefs on Monday inquiring about Wadi’s availability. The Gamecocks have been monitoring the player for the better part of the first half of the Premiership, with their officials attending almost all of Chiefs’ games.

What could hamper Chicken Inn’s chances is that Chiefs are not happy about how Chicken Inn dealt with the transfers of George Majika and Toto Banda a few seasons back.

The Gamecocks might lose the league’s leading goal scorer Edmore Chirambadare, who is attending trials at Bidvest Wits in South Africa, but have contingency plans should they miss out on Wadi by inviting two unnamed players from the Eastern Region’s Hartley Academy and Central Region’s Midlands State University.

Tsholotsho FC, who brought Joel Luphahla and Danisa Phiri out of retirement, are targeting ex-Bosso captain Innocent Mapuranga, whose contract expired last week.

The Zhwane Boys have not given up on securing Stephen Sibanda from FC Platinum, but their cause might be affected by the fact that the platinum miners have lost Obrey Chirwa to a European side and Donald Ngoma to Tanzanian side Young Africans.