Talks between Michael Olunga, through his academy – the Michael Olunga Foundation Academy (MOFA), and Swedish third-tier club AFC Eskilstuna are set to enter a crucial phase this weekend, as both parties seek to strike a takeover deal.Mozzart Sport on 27 May confirmed that Olunga and MOFA were on the verge of acquiring a significant stake at AFC Eskilstuna, only for the takeover plan to stall early June, with the Division One – Norra club indicating that some clauses in MOFA’s proposal “were of such a nature that we simply couldn’t agree to them.”Exclusive: Talks between Michael Olunga Football Academy and AFC Eskilstuna stallRepresentatives of Eskilstuna to that effect, emphasized the importance of thorough legal review, and stated they would not rush into a deal that had not been fully vetted by their lawyers.But in an exclusive interview with Mozzart Sport, Harambee Stars skipper Michael Olunga confirmed that negotiations into the “second proposal” were underway, with “smooth discussions expected to conclude over the weekend.”“The takeover plan is still in the offing,” Olunga said of any new developments from their end. “How international clubs operate is slightly different from here. Sweden has huge community involvement and as per their structure, they must have 51% of the stake, an aspect that was the major issue in our first proposal.”Michael Olunga set to buy Swedish clubUpon pulling back the initial plan, Olunga confirmed that AFC Eskilstuna left the door open for further negotiations, with a breakthrough now close to being arrived at.“The club has asked us to go back to the negotiating table and the deal is almost as good as done,” he said. “Aspects of community integration in the second proposal have been attended to and we believe that things will be done.”Though not in a position to discuss the financial nitty gritties, the Al Duhail striker said that MOFA would foot “a proportion” of Eskilstuna’s debts, which were reported to be Ksh. 48 million.“Of course the club in addition to us, still has existing sponsors, and so we are coming in as partners, not ideally to foot all bills,” Olunga affirmed.Asked of the decision to settle with AFC Eskilstuna, he said: “We know the potential this club [AFC Eskilstuna] has – they were in the Allsvenskan (the Swedish top tier league) a few years ago – and so we know that they have a structure in place, only that they have debts.”##NAJAVA_MECA_8161499##The former Gor Mahia player also said that he was aware of two Kenyan players at the club – Henry Meja and Frank Odhiambo – who he didn’t want to see denied an opportunity as the team fought to stay afloat.On his long-term plan as club partner, he said: “The existing structure still exists. It is not possible that we will have an all-Kenyan representative at AFC.“What this partnership does is that it will offer our players a good pathway from MOFA to the club, and eventually to the international scene. This is the biggest goal we have, as we seek to build better connections and scouting opportunities.”
