Kaizer Chiefs have said they are at an advanced stage to sign Ugandan left-back Godfrey Walusimbi‚ despite Kenyan club Gor Mahia making claims of Amakhosi “tapping” the player.

Chiefs seem set on pressing ahead trying to sign the player‚ who apparently has a year left on his contract at Mahia.

Kenya’s Nairobi News has reported that Mahia have put a R3-million price tag on the defender‚ who played against Egypt and Mali for Uganda at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon.

In a statement on Thursday Chiefs’ football manager Bobby Motaung said Amakhosi are close to signing the defender.

“The two clubs are in discussions and we hope to finalise the matter in the next few days‚” Motaung told Chiefs’ official website.

Mahia‚ though‚ have expressed their disgruntlement at Walusimbi being in South Africa to negotiate with Chiefs.

The club say that the player went Awol without giving any notice of his intentions last week to travel to South Africa.

They claim Chiefs never asked for permission to speak to Walusimbi.

Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier told the club’s website on Saturday: “Let it be known that Walusimbi made it to South Africa to meet Kaizer Chiefs without the club’s permission or notifying the club on his travel intentions.

“I got an alert from someone that he was traveling and the next thing was a call from Kaizer Chiefs chairman [Kaizer Motaung] apologising for that step and requesting if we could talk on a possible move.”

Mahia coach Dylan Kerr has threatened action against Walusimbi‚ Chiefs and the player’s intermediary.

Clubs negotiating to sign players without asking for permission from their current side is referred to as tapping. It is forbidden in Fifa’s rules.