Uncertainty over Cameroon striker Souaibou Marou's move to Pirates

As first reported locally by the public broadcaster’s sports desk, the Indomitable Lions forward was understood to have penned a three-year contract with the Buccaneers before jetting off to Qatar for the recent FIFA World Cup. 

However, news that his current club Coton Sport had publicly disclosed the Buccaneers' offer of R3.4-million was said to have thrown the Soweto giants off and left the potential transfer on the verge of collapsing.

Marou, who was part of coach Rigobert Song's 26-man squad, did not feature and remained an unused substitute in all three of his nation's group matches against Switzerland, Serbia and Brazil.

According to SABC Sport sources, the deal currently hangs “in the balance” with no official word from the players’ parent club, Pirates or his South African-based representatives. 

There were reports earlier this month that Marou had taken to social media to confirm he is joining Pirates as soon as the transfer window re-opens tomorrow (1 January), but the account used to post the message has not been verified. 

Should the Buccaneers conclude the deal, they will have to make room for the 22-year-old by offloading at least one of their five foreign players in line with the Premier Soccer League's quota. 

As things stand, Pirates have another Cameroon striker on their books in Bienvenu Eva Nga, the Ghanaian duo of goalkeeper Richard Ofori and forward Kwame Peprah, as well as Olisah Ndah from Nigeria and Zimbabwean attacker Terrence Dzvukamanja.

But it is possible there could be room for Marou with Nga, Peprah and Dzvukamanja all out of favour with Bucs' Spanish-born coach Jose Riveiro.