Egyptian giants Al Ahly wouldn't have met Mamelodi Sundowns' transfer demands for the services of Teboho Mokoena.
Mokoena has played every minute at the ongoing AFCON finals where Bafana Bafana meet Nigeria in a game that will determine who then meets either Cote d'Ivoire or DR Congo in the final on Sunday.
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The 27-year-old has spent two years at Sundowns delivering top notch performances.
Then with what he has done at the AFCON finals it has pushed the weight of his transfer value up.
Egyptian heavyweights Al Ahly have been mentioned as having taken interest in the Free State born midfielder who has already played five games against them in the colours of the Brazilians.
This website has been told that Al Ahly would not have met Sundowns' expectations of USD4 million (approx. R75,69 million) for defensive midfielder.
According to the word from Cairo, what gives Al Ahly reason not to stretch their transfer budget for Mokoena is that they have plenty options in the position that he plays.
The central midfield option includes Malian midfielder Aliou Dieng, Karim Walim Nedved, Emam Ashour, Ahmed Nabil Kouka, Amr El Solia, Marwan Ateya while Akram Tawfik can also play as a holding midfielder.
In that case it means they are not desperate in that position and the case would have been different if this was about a number nine in the mould of Peter Shalulile if it was a player from Sundowns.
For the mid-season window Al Ahly wouldn't have spent beyond USD1,5 million (approx. R28,4 million).
However, what is known for certain is that the Egyptians would have improved what Mokoena is earning at Sundowns.
With what he has now done at the AFCON, Mokoena's salary would have put him in the top earners ranks at the Cairo club in the region of USD1,5 million (approx. R28,4 million) per annum.
As it stands, Al Ahly will now have to wait for the next transfer window to revive their interest in Mokoena.
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Sundowns have shown over the years that interest in the services of their star players must be accompanied by transfer fees that meet their expectations.
With their ability to spend up to R50 million on transfers for players from South Africa like Marcelo Allende and Matias Esquivel, the Brazilians have set the bar high.