REPORT South African ex-Kaizer Chiefs striker Katlego "Killer" Mphela has offers from MLS, UAE, China

Striker Katlego "Killer" Mphela was released by the Kaizer Chiefs of the South African Premier Soccer League after a season and a half at the club. The Kaizer Chiefs terminated his contract a year early because the player "missed several functions, including the club awards and a trophy parade." Now, as a free agent, the striker looks abroad for his next move because according to his representative Glyn Binkin, "no local teams have shown interested so far."

Where is the interest abroad? According to Nkareng Matshe of Sowetan Live, Mphela is considering offers from "certain clubs" in Major League Soccer, China, and the United Arab Emirates (also known as the usual suspects), although nothing has been decided yet. There is a chance he will remain in South Africa, but his agent has been unable to establish contact because "most of the clubs are not open at the moment" for a break now that their season has ended.

Katlego "Killer" Mphela is a striker renowned for his finishing ability, hence the nickname "Killer". From 2009 to 2012, Mphela scored 40 goals in 67 appearances for Mamelodi Sundowns in South Africa. For Bafana Bafana, he's scored 23 goals in 53 appearances, an impressive strike rate at the international level. Mphela has the potential to produce magic best demonstrated by his effort against Spain at the 2009 Confederations Cup:

However, there are questions as to whether the 30-year old striker is still capable of performing at a high level. After moving to the Kaizer Chiefs, he only made 15 league and cup appearances during his year and a half long service with the club, scoring five goals.

Mphela would be an interesting addition to MLS, but as usual one must look at his list of potential suitors with skepticism. Traditionally, the always vague "interest" from some combination of China, MLS, and a Middle Eastern league is a player attempting to drive their price up domestically. Obviously, this could be genuine interest on the part of both the player and American clubs, but we'll wait and see.

It's not too far outside the realm of possibility that a few MLS squads based in the New York City Metropolitan area that could use depth at the striker position have kicked the tires on signing Mphela.

Would you want Mphela on your team?