{"id":16620,"date":"2025-07-17T14:15:14","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T12:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=16620"},"modified":"2026-03-12T10:14:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T08:14:14","slug":"wydad-athletic-club-halts-pursuit-of-thembinkosi-lorch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wydad-athletic-club-halts-pursuit-of-thembinkosi-lorch\/","title":{"rendered":"Wydad Athletic Club Halts Pursuit of Thembinkosi Lorch After Negotiations Stall"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Wydad Athletic Club, a Moroccan football giant, has officially called off their pursuit of South African winger Thembinkosi Lorch. This follows recent reports from North Africa and has shocked fans, especially in South Africa, who had hoped to see Lorch join the prestigious club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-thembinkosi-lorch-s-impressive-performances\">Thembinkosi Lorch\u2019s Impressive Performances<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The 31-year-old winger from Bloemfontein has made a strong impact at Mamelodi Sundowns since joining mid-season. His standout performances during the FIFA Club World Cup, particularly against Manchester City, Juventus, and Al Ain, earned him international attention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His goal against Juventus was a highlight, showcasing his talent on a global stage. Lorch\u2019s displays in the tournament led to significant interest from various top clubs across Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-3237874415\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-wydad-s-interest-grows\">Wydad\u2019s Interest Grows<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Wydad Athletic Club was reportedly impressed by Lorch\u2019s performances and accelerated negotiations to sign him. Talks with Mamelodi Sundowns were progressing well, and a transfer seemed imminent. The Moroccan club, known for their dominance in the Botola Pro, were eager to strengthen their squad by acquiring the South African star. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-negotiations-stall\">Negotiations Stall<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>However, despite Wydad&#8217;s interest, they have now decided to end their pursuit of Lorch. Kooora reports that Wydad could not meet Mamelodi Sundowns&#8217; asking price, leading to the abandonment of the deal. This has been a blow to Wydad fans who were excited about the possibility of Lorch joining their ranks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-2044587528\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-lorch-s-future-at-mamelodi-sundowns\">Lorch\u2019s Future at Mamelodi Sundowns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With Wydad now out of the picture, Lorch remains at Mamelodi Sundowns. His recent performances have made him a key player, and his future with the club appears secure. Sundowns will continue to rely on his talent in both domestic and continental competitions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-impact-on-south-african-football\">The Impact on South African Football<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Lorch\u2019s rise to prominence in the FIFA Club World Cup reflects the growing attention on South African football. His success at <a href=\"https:\/\/sundownsfc.co.za\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sundowns<\/a> highlights the potential of South African players on the African continent, raising the profile of both the player and his club. Lorch\u2019s performance has not only been a personal success but also a testament to the strength of South African football on the continental stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Check also: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/mamelodi-sundowns-right-back-transfer-rumors\/\">Mamelodi Sundowns\u2019 Star Attracts Interest from Egyptian Giants<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although Wydad Athletic Club has ended their pursuit of Lorch, his future remains bright. Whether he stays at Sundowns or moves elsewhere, Lorch\u2019s strong performances have firmly placed him among South Africa\u2019s top football talents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wydad Athletic Club ends their pursuit of Thembinkosi Lorch after failing to meet Mamelodi Sundowns\u2019 price tag. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":16626,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"Wydad Athletic Club ends their pursuit of Thembinkosi Lorch after failing to meet Mamelodi Sundowns\u2019 price tag. ","footnotes":""},"categories":[59,56,64],"tags":[2944,360,288,7852,1888],"class_list":{"0":"post-16620","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer","8":"category-sports","9":"category-sports-news","10":"tag-fifa-club-world-cup","11":"tag-mamelodi-sundowns","12":"tag-soccer","13":"tag-south-african-football","14":"tag-wydad-athletic-club"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16620"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16620\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16630,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16620\/revisions\/16630"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}