I-League 2017: Komal Thatal rejected Rs 6 lakh offer from Minerva Punjab FC, reveals owner Ranjit Bajaj

What's the story?

India U-17 star Komal Thatal is one of the hottest properties in Indian football right now, with many ISL sides expected to be in the race to sign the youngster. The forward has his eyes set on playing in the franchise-based competition instead of signing for an I-League side.

Minerva Punjab FC had earlier made a move to sign the Sikkim-born star but the offer was rejected by the striker and his agent. It has now been revealed that he had been offered a deal worth Rs 6 lakh along with a guarantee of a minimum of 10 appearances.

The figure was disclosed by MPFC owner Ranjit Bajaj himself on Twitter, who had been quick to move to sign Thatal earlier.

Offfered him 6 L / and 10 games game time minimum

— Ranjit Bajaj (@THE_RanjitBajaj) December 5, 2017

In case you didn't know

Thatal was part of the India side that played in the FIFA U-17 World Cup earlier this year and has been touted as a player to watch out for, despite making just one appearance for the Indian team in the competition.

The heart of the matter

In the ongoing season, the forward was not picked by coach Luis Norton de Matos for the Indian Arrows, a side which features a number of India's U-17 stars such as Dheeraj Singh and Aniket Jadhav.

A number of ISL clubs, including ATK and FC Pune City, are reportedly in the race to sign the forward, with the Kerala Blasters having already pulled out. Thatal is also said to have rejected a move to the Turkish second division with his eyes set on a mover to the ISL.

What's next?

With a number of clubs vying for his signature, an official confirmation is expected to be on the cards very soon.

Author's take

It is intriguing to see why the youngster turned down an offer which had a guarantee of playing time, something that may not be a given in the ISL.