Chippa United have confirmed the sale of experienced Nigerian goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi to fellow Premiership outfit Kaizer Chiefs.
The 32-year-old Akpeyi has sealed his move to Naturena on transfer deadline day, and is expected to go straight into contention for next Saturday’s derby clash with Orlando Pirates at FNB Stadium.
And, with first-choice stopper Itumeleng Khune facing a lengthy spell on the treatment table and his back-up, Virgil Vries struggling to keep clean sheets, Akpeyi could make his debut in the Soweto Derby.
When asked to explain Chippa’s decision to sell Akpeyi on deadline day, Chippa’s chief operations officer, Lukhayo Mzinzi, told TimesLIVE: “Chiefs made a very good offer to the club.
“We considered that Daniel is in his last six months of his contract. As much as he is one of our most consistent and valuable members, we could not let him go for free.
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“We think we have made a good business move by selling him before his contract ends. “We thank [him for] his loyalty to the club. Through him our club is known beyond South Africa, because he was one of the members for the World Cup squad for Nigeria.
“We also got some incentives through that. This is a second time now that we are getting an incentive through him in terms of selling him before this contract ends.
“We want to thank him and his family. We want to thank [him for] his professionalism, we wish him all the best for the future. “We release him with a very open heart.”
Akpeyi joined Chippa from Nigerian outfit Warri Wolves in 2015, and has made six appearances for Nigeria’s national team.