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The 26-year-old speedy attacking midfielder could spend the second half of the 2020-21 season in the Premier League, according to UK reports.
Percy Tau’s dream of playing in the English Premier League could soon become a reality in early 2021.
The 26-year-old forward is currently on loan to Belgium’s Anderlecht from the Premier League’s Brighton & Hove Albion, which he joined in 2018.
According to Athletic, Brighton has included a midseason withdrawal option in its loan agreement with Anderlecht.
This is because the club is hopeful that amendments to regulations in the UK after Brexit could allow Tau to finally acquire his work permit after failing to qualify for it for the past two years.
The South African international was loaned to Royale Union Saint-Gilloise immediately after joining Brighton as it became clear to him that he would not yet be able to play in the Premier League.
He spent a season at Gilloise, winning the hearts of Belgian soccer fans with his excellent performances in his debut season.
Tau would then be crowned the Proximus Player of the season after his 13 goals and 12 assists for the Belgian second division side.
His performances caught the attention of Club Brugge, which later acquired his services on loan from Brighton last season.
What the deal meant for Tau was that he could play in European competitions and increase his chances of getting a visa in the UK.
And the left-hander did well for Brugge in both the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League.
However, their efforts were not enough to obtain the UK work permit and the English team was again forced to hand it over, this time to Vincent Kompany’s team, Anderlecht.
But the latest developments mean that Tau’s chances of playing in the Premier League look promising, and his parent club is also hoping to give the Witbank-born attacker his big break.
If the move finally happens, Tau would become the first Bafana Bafana player to play in the Premier League since Steven Pienaar, who returned home after Sunderland’s relegation to the Championship in 2017.
South Africa, however, is represented by one of its under-23 national team players in Khanya Leshabela, who is in Leicester City.
Leshabela has yet to make his first team debut with the Foxes.
