Esperance set to launch second bid for Peter Shalulile | OneFootball

Peter Shalulile on the radar of Esperance

Peter Shalulile/@SuperSport

Tunisian Ligue 1 champions Esperance de Tunis are expected to launch a second bid for Mamelodi Sundowns striker Peter Shalulile, who appears to have fallen down the pecking orders since the arrival of Miguel Cardoso.

The prolific forward was an unused substitute in the first two matches at the FIFA Club World Cup, with the Portuguese mentor opting to rely on Lebo Mothiba off the bench, while Iqraam Rayners was the preferred starter.

Shalulile made a brief cameo in the last group stage match against Brazilian outfit Fluminense, entering the fray for Rayners, as Mothiba suffered a slight muscle injury against Bundesliga giants Borrusia Dortmund a game before.

Furthermore, the Namibian international was excluded from the team that faced Richards Bay in the MTN8 quarter-final on Sunday. Lucas Ribeiro Costa and Khuliso Mudau were other notable absentees, who are linked with moves away from the club.

Now, with the Tunisian juggernauts’ opening bid for the services of Shalulile said to have been rejected, Foot Africa has it on good authority from a well-placed source that Esperance are set to launch a second bid to lure the center-forward to Tunis.

In addition to Esperance, Shalulile has attracted interest from clubs in the Gulf region, and Sudanese giants Al Hilal Omdurman, with Sundowns keen to cash in after exercising the one-year option on his deal at Chloorkop. Shalulile joined the Brazilians in July 2020, from Highlands Park, on the back of winning the Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot.

Since then, the striker went on to net 101 goals and provided 26 assists for Masandawana. Interestingly, the 31-year-old is one goal behind the legendary Siyabonga Nomvethe in the PSL all-time top goal scorers list, having chipped in with 128 goals throughout his career in the South African topflight division.