Rupia set to extend Leopards deal as club bids to fend off suitors

AFC Leopards lethal striker Elvis Rupia is expected to sign a contract extension before the end of this week, club boss Dan Shikanda has said.

Rupia has been out of Nairobi since March when President Uhuru Kenyatta imposed cessation of movement into and out of the capital city as one of the measures to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Shikanda submits that the former Wazito and Power Dynamo goal poacher is being monitored by a number of clubs but assures that the contract talks will be done even before the weekend as they bid to fend off  suitors.

“We have spoken to Rupia(Elvis) and so we are expecting him either today or tomorrow to complete his contract extension,” Shikanda said.

Rupia has made an instant impact at Leopards since joining in January to fill the void left by John-Mark Makwata. He has so far scored five goals in five matches he featured in before the government suspended sports in March due to Covid-19 outbreak.

Shikanda has also revealed that Leopards will axe not less than four players and also make top notch additions so as to have a lean but competitive squad.

The squad of 32 will now be reduced to a sizeable number of around 27 players in order to reduce the club’s wage bill.

“We need to meet with the technical bench so as to decide on which players to be handed contract extensions and which ones to be drop.

This, we are doing so as to reduce the huge salary burden and to focus on next season,” the former Leopards player explained.

Shikanda could however not confirm whether Leopards are in the process of bringing back former head coach, Tanzanian Dennis Kitambi and Yanga SC goal keeper Farouk Shikalo.

Meanwhile the club boss has called upon members not to relent in supporting the team noting that the multi-million sponsorship  shirt deal they signed with a betting company will start from next year and so there’s a compelling need to source for money to pay players their June salaries and the remainder of the year 2020.