Relebohile Mofokeng is doing it again. The boy from Sharpeville who used to make Pirates fans stand up every weekend is now making Europe take notice.
French side Lille and German champions Bayer Leverkusen are the two clubs pushing hardest for him right now.
According to Ekrem Konur, the Turkish transfer guy who is usually spot on, both clubs have been sending scouts to Belgium almost every week to watch Mofokeng play for Union SG.
And it’s not hard to see why they are there.
Remember, this boy only left Orlando Pirates in July 2026. Many people thought he would need 6 months to settle in Belgium. But Mofokeng didn’t need any time. He just started playing.
12 games, 5 goals, 3 assists. That’s what he has done since he arrived. For a 21-year-old who just landed in Europe, those numbers are crazy.
His big moments came in Europa League. First, he scored that important goal when Union SG beat Viktoria Plzen 3-0 away in September. Then in October against Hapoel Be’er Sheva, he was man of the match.
4-0 win, he gave an assist, he was pulling defenders left and right, and he got a standing ovation when he came off. 8.0 rating that night.
So now the talk is €15 million. That’s around R276 million. If Union SG gets that in January 2027, Mofokeng will become one of the most expensive South African players ever to be sold.
What makes him special is not just goals. It’s how he plays. Low centre of gravity, you can’t take the ball from him, very fast, and he always wants to go forward. That’s why Chelsea, Brighton, Atletico Madrid and Napoli are also watching. But for now, Lille and Leverkusen are leading.
Lille makes sense – they are good at developing young players and selling them big. Leverkusen also makes sense – they play modern football under Xabi Alonso and Mofokeng would fit there perfectly.
Union SG doesn’t want to sell. They want to win the league. But if two big clubs start fighting and bidding goes up, they will sell. That’s business.
For us in South Africa, this is a proud moment. The boy they call “Cheezboy” is showing that local players can go to Europe and not just sit on the bench. He is playing, he is scoring, and soon he might be worth R276 million.
