Thulani Serero is beginning to gain plenty of admirers, with Italian giants AC Milan said to be mulling over an approach for the player at the end of the season.
That is according to a number of reports in Italy, which allege that club bosses admire the deep-lying defensive midfield qualities of the 24-year-old and believe he could adapt well to the Italian game.
While no comment could be garnered from Serero's agent, Mamelodi Sundowns director of football Mike Ntombela, a transfer fee in the region of à5-million has been quoted.
The reports also suggest the move might depend on whether the struggling Milan side qualify for European club competition next season - they currently occupy 10th position in the table under coach Filippo Inzaghi, eight points off the Europa League places.
Serero has a contract with Ajax Amsterdam that runs until June 2017 and were they to sell in the European summer for the quoted price, that would more than double their money, having paid Ajax Cape Town R25-million for his services in 2011.
One potential stumbling block is the tight restrictions placed on players from outside of Europe and were Serero to join, then one of Milan's Ghanaian duo, Sulley Muntari or Michael Essien, would have to make way.
When Ajax Amsterdam bought Serero, the intention was always to mould him into a player for resale to a bigger European league.
It is the model the Dutch club uses as they do not have the financial muscle to rival clubs from Europe's top five leagues.
Just this past season, the club sold Daley Blind to Manchester United, Siem de Jong to Newcastle United and Christian Eriksen to Tottenham Hotspur, which has ironically given Serero the chance to shine.
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