SIMBA Sports Club have officially terminated its pursuit of AS Vita winger Elie Mpanzu after numerous failed attempts to secure the player's transfer.

The Tanzanian giants have decided to explore other options to strengthen their squad following the protracted negotiations, which proved to be both time-consuming and disruptive to their pre-season preparations.

Simba were unable to bridge the gap in transfer fee demands with the Congolese club, who held firm on their valuation of $250,000. Despite multiple attempts and offers, including a final bid of $200,000, Simba couldn't convince AS Vita to lower their asking price.

Reports from DR Congo suggest that AS Vita are now in advanced negotiations with Belgian side KRC Genk for Mpanzu's transfer. 

The 22-year-old winger had initially agreed to a two-year deal with Simba, but the deal was derailed by the intervention of new investors at AS Vita, who imposed a hefty transfer fee.

With the Mpanzu deal falling through, Simba now turn their attention to other transfer targets as they look to strengthen their squad for the upcoming season. 

According to sources from Simba, the deal has stalled on multiple occasions and it was so disturbing and time-consuming as the new season approaches that they have decided to call it off and focus on other players.

"He's not coming anymore. We tried our best but maybe it wasn't enough. His side was very disturbing and there was no clarity to the matter. But let's see, hopefully, we will sign another player instead of him, but probably on the same or higher level as Mpanzu," one of the sources revealed.

Simba intensified efforts to secure the signature of Mpanzu from AS Vita, sending representatives to the Democratic Republic of Congo on multiple occasions. 

Despite the club's persistence, including the involvement of the club’s key figures, the transfer remained uncertain.

As the new season approaches, Simba are determined to continue strengthening its squad and will now shift focus to other potential signings to ensure a competitive team for the upcoming campaign.