Mushekwi's German move talks hit a brick wall

Zimbabwean striker Nyasha Mushekwi has suffered another career setback after a prospective move to Europe stalled due to his club's "inexperience in the international transfer market," South African media reported yesterday.

The Mamelodi Sundowns striker, who is currently suspended from international football by Zimbabwe after being implicated in the widely-publicised Asiagate match-fixing scandal, was set to move to newly-promoted German Bundesliga side Greuther Fürth in a deal worth R10 million (about US$1,2m).

Sundowns teammate, defender Siyanda Xulu, was wanted by FC Rostov in Russia in the same transfer period, but deal talks also hit a brick wall.

The Sowetan newspaper yesterday lashed out at Sundowns for bungling the deals after the Pretoria-based club made unreasonable demands for the club's services.

The Sowetan understands newly-promoted Greuther Fürth were willing to pay up to R10m for the services of forward Mushekwi, but wanted him to attend a four-day assessment in Germany first.

In the current transfer market, that is a generous figure for a player with no European experience.

Greuther Fürth wanted to give the former CAPS United hitman a medical and see him in a few training sessions before putting a contract in front of him - standard practice in Europe - but Sundowns would not let the player travel.

Sundowns officials wanted the transfer agreed on before they were willing to let the Zimbabwean go.

This stubborn stance shows a lack of understanding of the mechanics of European transfers, insiders say.

With the German Bundesliga season now less than two weeks away, Greuther Fürth have moved on to other targets and let their interest in Mushekwi go cold, ending his dream of a move and Sundowns' chances of a payday well above the player's market value.