Mannapule Saleng: Orlando Pirates winger on the radar of Belgian club

Published on by Joel Oliver

Orlando Pirates winger Monnapule Saleng is reportedly on the radar of Belgian club Standard Liege who are tracking his performances.

Saleng has started the season in fine fashion, scoring five goals while providing an assist in 10 matches, and seems to be regaining the form that made him Player of the Season on 2022-23.

The winger had scored in three straight games before an injury locked him out of the league tie against Richards Bay but he was back for the MTN8 final against Stellenbosch.

Orlando Pirates next match and fixtures: Bucs enjoying excellent start to the season
Monnapule Saleng and Evidence Makgopa – Picture by Orlando Pirates

Why is Saleng being tracked now?

Now, according to Soccer Laduma, Liege are keeping tabs on him with a view to sealing a deal in the near future even though Pirates are not keen to lose him any time soon.

“It’s not like the interest died off. It is just that last season he was not playing much so it was hard for the teams interested in him to monitor his progress but they were checking what was going on. Now, since he is back in the thick of things, the interest has arisen again,” a source told Soccer Laduma.

“It’s Standard Liege that have shown interest. Actually, last season, they were also interested in Mohau Nkota while Monaco SC were interested in Saleng. So, now it is believed that the Standard Liege scouts are looking at Saleng since Nkota has not been playing much since his promotion,” he added.

Jose Riveiro and Monnapule Saleng Orlando Pirates
Jose Riveiro and Monnapule Saleng, Image – Orlando Pirates

Pirates are keen to retain the winger

The outlet reports that Pirates do not want to allow Saleng to leave any time soon with his contract set to run out in June 2026 when they hope to agree new terms.

However, a big-money offer from the Belgian club before that could entice the Buccaneers to sell him. 

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Joel Oliver

Joel Oliver is a seasoned multimedia sports journalist with a rich background in covering diverse football stories and events in South Africa and beyond.
His extensive coverage spans subjects touching on the PSL, with a focus on the Big Three (Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs & Mamelodi Sundowns), Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana.