Gastón Sirino looks set to leave Mamelodi Sundowns after five years at the club.
The Uruguayan winger has been linked with a move to several clubs in recent months, and it is now believed that he is close to agreeing a deal that will see him leave.
Gaston Sirino joined the Brazilians in 2018 and has since won six league titles, the Nedbank Cups, the MTN8 Cup and the Telkom Knockout. He has made a total of 178 appearances for the club and has been a key player for the reigning DStv Premiership champions.
However, Sirino has been in and out of the Sundowns team in recent seasons, and he is reportedly unhappy with his current situation at the club. He is also said to be keen to return overseas.
“During the preseason camp in Rustenburg, Sirino held a meeting with Coach Rulani (Mokwena) where he registered his unhappiness at the club,” a club source told SN24.
“He feels he’s not part of the coach’s plans hence his desire to leave the club.”
The 32-year-old still has two years left on his contract with the Tshwane giants. Sirino signed a lengthy deal just before Coach Pitso Mosimane left for Egypt to join Al Ahly in 2020.
Mosimane’s efforts to get the talented forward a move to Cairo hit a snag. Sundowns refused to entertain the offer from the African champions, leaving Sirino a frustrated figure.
Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena has confirmed to PowerFM that the player has requested to leave.
“That’s what he’s told the club [that he wants to leave]. He said to me that I must wait for an offer, that there is an offer that is coming and that was three weeks ago,” he told Power FM.
“They haven’t made an offer and that’s why we are waiting. Because he’s asked us to wait for an offer. The club can never do anything if there is no offer.”
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Sirino primarily plays as a right winger but can also be deployed as a 10 or a false nine. He faces fierce competition at the club with the likes of Lesiba Nku, Themba Zwane, Lucas Ribeiro and Neo Maema.
Last season, he made 13 starts across four competitions and has only featured once this season. He looks likely to struggle for game time again this season.
Sirino’s departure will be a major blow to Sundowns, who are already without the injured Peter Shalulile.