‘In talks’: Bafana star Mbokazi has European clubs, agents calling after stellar World Cup

Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s agent, Basia Michaels, confirms several clubs have expressed interest in the Bafana Bafana defender.

Michaels says his US-based club, Chicago Fire, are willing to sell, but stresses any transfer will depend on the right project.

She also warns supporters not to expect a quick deal, saying international transfers take time.

Basia Michaels is not an easy person to get hold of these days.

That, however, is hardly surprising.

With the football transfer window in full swing, the FIFA-accredited agent’s phone rarely stops ringing.

Clubs, sporting directors and intermediaries from across the continent are all chasing one thing – information on one of South Africa’s brightest football talents.

As the founder and managing director of QT Sports, Michaels represents a growing list of elite players.

Right now, though, one name dominates the conversation: Mbekezeli Mbokazi.

The 20-year-old centre-back’s rise over the past four years has been nothing short of extraordinary.

From humble beginnings at Home Sweepers FC in his hometown Hluhluwe, KwaZulu-Natal, where he first honed his craft, Mbokazi progressed through Makhasa FC and Mtuba All Stars before his talent caught the attention of Orlando Pirates in 2023.

What followed was a rapid ascent.

He quickly graduated through the club’s development structures, starring for the DStv Diski Challenge side before forcing his way into the Buccaneers’ senior team, making his debut in March 2025.

Within months, he had earned a high-profile move to Major League Soccer outfit Chicago Fire and established himself as one of Hugo Broos’ most trusted defenders in the Bafana Bafana setup.

It is remarkable to think that only eight months have passed since Chicago Fire paid $3 million (about R48.7 million) to secure his services from Pirates.

Since then, the former Buccaneer has continued to develop at an incredible rate.

He featured prominently during Bafana’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Morocco before helping South Africa reach the FIFA World Cup knockout rounds for the first time in the nation’s history earlier this year.

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Those performances have inevitably attracted attention.

Like the machine he is named after, Mbokazi bulldozes through opposition attacks with power and authority. It is why “TLB”, as he is affectionately known, has become one of South African football’s most sought-after exports, attracting interest from across Europe’s elite leagues.

In a wide-ranging two-part interview with News24, Michaels revealed she has been inundated with enquiries from clubs eager to explore a deal for the young defender.

She also confirmed that Chicago Fire were “willing” to sell Mbokazi, despite signing him only eight months ago on a contract that runs until 2029, with the option of a further year’s extension.

“No doubt about it. I’m picking up the phone,” Michaels laughs when asked about how busy she was with the potential transfer of Mbokazi.

“Luckily, I’m picking up the phone from clubs but also picking up the phone from overseas agents that believe they have better connections and have a better ability to sell Mbokazi.

“I’m grateful for the fact that clubs have reached out to Chicago or to me. Chicago’s willing to sell. I want to put that on the record.

“It’s been exceptional that Chicago has said to themselves, ‘Look, we’re not going to hold him back. If a club comes and the team is right, the operations of that team are right, and the project is right we will sell.’”

The World Cup did more than rewrite South African football history – it threw open the shop window.

Bafana’s run to the Round of 32 captured the imagination of a nation, but it also caught the attention of clubs, scouts and sporting directors across Europe.

While Broos and his players were still processing the heartbreak of a stoppage-time defeat to Canada, transfer conversations had already begun gathering pace.

Relebohile Mofokeng was the first domino to fall.

Less than 72 hours after Bafana’s rollercoaster World Cup campaign came to an end, the Pirates star completed a South African transfer record from the Premier Soccer League (PSL) to an overseas club for a €3.5 million (about R65.3 million) move to Belgian giants Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.

READ | World Cup run carries Bafana stars abroad, with Mofokeng first through the door

It wasn’t long before the spotlight shifted to Mbokazi, whose assured displays in defence only strengthened the growing belief that he belonged on one of Europe’s biggest stages. Oswin Appollis, too, has emerged as another player attracting serious interest after a breakthrough season in black and white and an impressive World Cup showing.

But while Mofokeng’s move is done and Appollis’ future remains the subject of growing speculation, Mbokazi’s situation is far less straightforward than many might think.

Michaels says they want Mbokazi to be “playing in Europe for the next 10-15 years” when he puts pen to paper on a deal with a club.

Everything has to make sense.

“When club owners and sporting directors [of clubs] start engaging Chicago Fire, that’s where we find ourselves. That’s when we can have the conversations. Right now, [we are] in talks with a couple of clubs, there’s no question about it,” she continued.

“This kind of transaction is something that doesn’t necessarily happen overnight. The Relebohile deal didn’t happen because of the way he played in the World Cup.

“It was pre-concluded. The World Cup was just the cherry on top. So, there’s still work to be put in for the conclusion of Mbokazi’s next deal.

“Just the concept of signing the club-to-club transfer agreement takes time, especially because of the fact that it’s an international transaction. They have their laws; we have ours. They have the way they manage their football; we have the way we manage our football.

“Each football club has its way of working. Then there are also just the personal terms, which is why I say there’s no way the deal, as great as the one Relebohile has now achieved, could have happened during the World Cup.

“I really want to warn against it, and I want to warn against putting timelines in place because these deals do not happen overnight.”

While Mbokazi’s move to Chicago Fire was hailed by many as another landmark moment for South African football, it also sparked fierce debate.

Michaels found herself at the centre of the criticism, with supporters questioning why one of the country’s brightest young talents had chosen Major League Soccer over a direct move to Europe.

READ | Jordaan’s 13-year SAFA reign under threat? New opponent Zungu says ‘change is inevitable’

Broos, too, made little secret of his reservations, publicly suggesting that a move to one of Europe’s top leagues may have been better for the defender’s development ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.

But Europe didn’t dial in back then the way that they’re hogging Michaels’ line now.

What many failed to appreciate, however, was the amount of work that had gone into making the transfer happen. Far from being a last-minute decision, negotiations between Chicago Fire and Orlando Pirates stretched over almost six months before an agreement was finally reached.

“It took me a good five months to get Chicago over the line. The first conversation I had with Chicago Fire was in August of 2025.”

“I was like, I was really thinking that I could bag this deal in two months. I really thought that I could, but there were very fine, very minute details that could not have been concluded during that time, and that’s why it then happens at the end of November.

“There’s work that has to be put into this kind of transaction that is important because that is what will ensure Mbokazi’s longevity in the European market.”

Patience over panic. Timing over hype. That has long been the philosophy shared by Michaels and Mbokazi. As the rumour mill gathers pace, Michaels has already dismissed reports linking the defender with Real Betis and Ajax Amsterdam.

The next move, whenever it comes, will not be dictated by headlines, social media or the biggest cheque on the table, but by what is right for Mbokazi’s career.

“Mbokazi and I… we know where our end goal lies,” she continues.

“Taking a stepping stone here or a stepping stone there to get to that end goal is very important because you don’t necessarily have to jump over a river. You can walk casually over the stones that are there to get to the other side.

“It doesn’t all have to be done at once, and that’s the most important thing that I think people need to realise.”

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