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Johannesburg - Former Bafana Bafana defender Matthew Booth looks set to don the colours of Ajax Cape Town on a season-by-season contract, Urban Warriors' chief executive George Comitis confirmed.
The veteran, lanky player is out of contract with his former team, Mamelodi Sundowns, relieving the pressure on Ajax to put pen to paper by the transfer deadline which expires at midnight on Wednesday.
Booth, who starred for Bafana in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and was on the bench for last year's World Cup, is currently recuperating from damaged cruciate ligaments which he suffered playing for Sundowns against Bidvest Wits in May.
He is expected to start training again towards the end of September.
"We're definitely looking into it but there's no rush as Booth is a free agent, so we can finalise after the transfer window," said Comitis.
"We're still talking to the player and looking at giving him a year to year contract."
Coach Maarten Stekelenburg had set his sights on the 33 year-old and is just waiting for the Ajax board's seal of approval.
Ajax are in need of experience at the back, having sold Clayton Daniels to Sundowns earlier in the month and failing to sign another Stekelenburg target, Mbulelo Mabizela, after discovering he had a knee problem.
Booth said he had spoken to Stekelenburg last week and had undergone his medical check-up at the club's Ikamva headquarters.
"As it stands, I passed the medical examination but the contract still has to be approved by the board," said Booth.
"The coach has accepted that I get signed and I had a chat with him last Friday when I was in Cape Town.
Booth said he underwent an operation in May and hoped to be back in training as soon as possible.
"This injury normally takes six months, but I'm looking at starting with training later that month."
Booth's career has come full circle since making his professional debut for Cape Town Spurs in 1996. Spurs went on to form Ajax after merging with Seven Stars.
Ironically, he was deemed surplus to requirements at the time as the founding Ajax squad in 1999 was taken from both Spurs and Stars.
Booth went on to enjoy a successful first spell with Sundowns which led to the former Baby Bafana captain carving a career for himself in Europe where he played in both England and Russia.
"I actually thought about that too, I really have come full circle in my career and the fact that it's in the Cape, my hometown, is the cherry on top," Booth said.
"But the fortunate part is having a club that has faith in my services, I'm very excited."
