Posted: 2012-03-08 10:22
Swedish side Helsingborg have reiterated their desire to keep Bafana Bafana international May Mahlangu amid reports of interest from Turkish giants Galatasaray this week. Mahlangu has been the subject of much speculation over the past 12 months, with Dutch duo Feyenoord and Ajax Amsterdam reportedly interested, as well as Spanish La Liga outfit Villarreal.
And the Turkish media reported this week that Galatasaray will look to sign him when the transfer window reopens in July in Europe, though Helsingborg claim they have had no contact from the Turks.
“We have not had contact with Galatasaray. There has been much speculation about May and I understand that clubs are interested in him, but we have not been in contact with Galatasaray,” says Helsingborg club director Paul Myllenberg.
Asked whether any clubs had expressed an interest, Myllenberg hinted that there may have been talks by adding: “Not in the form of a written bid.”
“There are always rumours about good players, but they are not worth anything more than arousing a great interest in the player. He is the Allsvenskan's [Swedish League] best midfielder, so it's not particularly surprising. But something more than that, there is nothing to report.
“Anyway, we want to keep him – we want to play UEFA Champions League group games here in the fall [autumn]. And we want to play with May.”
Mahlangu recently played his second Bafana international in the 0-0 draw with Senegal, where he put in a lively performance.
He made his national team debut in January against Equatorial Guinea, ending any chance of the Swedish Football Association luring him to play for that country on the national stage.
Galatasaray are perennial challengers for the Turkish League and currently have a six-point lead at the top of the table this season with a game in hand.
Their domestic success means they get to get to play plenty of European football, though their recent appearances have been in the UEFA Europa League.
Mzansi Football and KickOff.com
