Cape Town - Kaizer Chiefs reportedly pulled out of the race to sign Anele Ngcongca due to the cost of the player's financial package.
Mamelodi Sundowns' latest recruit was said to be a target for Chiefs when they learned he had become available after falling out of favour with Racing Genk in the Belgium Pro League.
Ngcongca, who spent nine years at Genk and also had a loan spell at Troyes in France's Ligue One in 2015/16, recently signed a three-year deal with Downs after agreeing terms on a lucrative financial package worth over R5 million-a-year.
It was the first Premiership contract the 28-year-old has signed after spending the majority of his career in Europe. Nonetheless, Chiefs were reportedly interested in signing the Bafana Bafana international until the cost of his financial demands were established.
Ngcongca was reportedly willing to listen to offers from both clubs. However, it was the Brazilians who were willing to meet his salary expectations.
According to Soccer Laduma, "The player was open to negotiating a possible move with both Chiefs and Downs' management, but, after establishing what he was demanding, Amakhosi opted to pull out of the race, which in turn paved the way for his arrival at Chloorkop."
The Cape Town-born star has a deal with Pitso Mosimane's side that runs until at least 2020.