Mamelodi Sundowns have confirmed one of their key players will leave the PSL champions for a stint with an unnamed club in North America.
On Tuesday, the Brazilians released a statement supporting forward Cassius Mailula’s move away from the club and he will thus not be part of the squad for their pre-season trip to the Netherlands.
“Mamelodi Sundowns supports Cassius Mailula’s move to North American club,” confirmed a statement on Sundowns’ social media pages, adding: “Mamelodi Sundowns has been in discussions with a North American football club that expressed interest in acquiring the services of Cassius Mailula.
“Sundowns is proud of Cassius Mailula who joined the Mamelodi Sundowns Academy as a 13-year-old and was developed and nurtured by the Sundowns coaches. Mamelodi Sundowns will make further announcements concerning Cassius Mailula in due course.”
Mailula, who turned 22 last month enjoyed an incredible breakthrough season with Masandawana in the 2022-23 campaign with 15 goals and four assists in 31 games, was said to have attracted interest from Belgium and France.
Mailula made his senior debut for Sundowns in a 1-0 win against Chippa United in September 2022 and scored his first two goals on October 25, 2022. He made his international debut for South Africa during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group K in March 2023, in two fixtures against Liberia.