John Comitis sets record straight on Orlando Pirates' interest in Emile Witbooi

Witbooi has been heavily tipped to join the Buccaneers, with reports suggesting Pirates see the 17-year-old as a potential replacement for Relebohile Mofokeng following his move to Europe.

However, Comitis says the transfer talk has been driven by speculation rather than any formal negotiations.

"Everybody has sold that boy to Pirates. I don't know anything about it. Everybody is selling him to Pirates," Comitis told Kickoff.

While ruling out any current discussions with the Soweto giants, Comitis admitted that Witbooi continues to attract strong interest from Europe after previously spending time on assessment at Chelsea.

"We know if we get a big opportunity for him, we have to consider it," he said.

"At this stage, he is in our plans, and we've got a lot of interest still from European clubs. He has been invited to a trial at a Bundesliga club, but we're not sure if we're going to release him for a trial. But nonetheless, their interest is still there."

The Cape City chairman also confirmed that Orlando Pirates have not contacted the club regarding the talented attacker.

"At this stage, the media has hyped this into what it is, and we haven't had any serious conversation over Emile."

Despite the growing transfer speculation, Comitis stressed that City want Witbooi to remain a key part of their ambitions for the upcoming campaign.

"At the moment, he is at the club. We have every intention to make sure that he assists us to win the league because we've signed players with that intention, and we're certainly going to try our best," he added.

Although he declined to reveal the player's valuation, Comitis suggested Witbooi has the potential to command a significant transfer fee in the future.

"I can't disclose how much Witbooi is worth, but you see the amounts that Orlando Pirates are getting now when they sell their players overseas? This boy is special like that."