Marcelo Allende’s Mamelodi Sundowns future uncertain as contract enters final year

Marcelo Allende is entering the final 12 months of his Mamelodi Sundowns contract, with discussions taking place behind the scenes over what could be the most significant deal of his career.

The Chilean midfielder is now in the fifth and final year of the agreement he signed after joining Sundowns from Uruguayan club Montevideo City Torque in a big-money transfer in July 2022.

Allende initially signed a three-year contract with a two-year option. Sundowns exercised that option before travelling to the 2024 FIFA Club World Cup, extending his stay at the Tshwane club.

The 27-year-old has since repaid the club’s investment with his performances, averaging 44 appearances per season. He has made an especially strong start to the 2026/27 campaign, playing every minute of Sundowns’ first five matches.

However, contacts in South America have told this website there is a strong possibility that the current season could be Allende’s last at Chloorkop.

What appears certain is that the midfielder will give everything during a campaign that will offer another opportunity to perform on the global stage, with Sundowns set to feature in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.

One contact believes Allende’s contract situation could sharpen his motivation.

“He is going to be playing for a contract this season, and that will mean improved performances.

“You need to understand that the mindset of South Americans feeds on their drive to achieve and earn better while they can.

“Marcelo had a career that once took him to being considered at Arsenal, so the expectations remain higher than completing his late 20s in Africa,” says one contact.

There is understood to be movement away from the pitch, with Allende’s representatives reportedly exploring potential opportunities in Mexico and Major League Soccer.

The player has already won the domestic league three times with Sundowns, as well as the CAF Champions League, and his camp is believed to feel that a new challenge may now be required.

Despite his success in South Africa, Allende has not received further international recognition from Chile.

He captained Chile’s junior national teams during his teenage years and has long been expected to build on the one senior cap he earned while playing in Uruguay. That appearance remains his only senior international outing.

The source suggests South African football is not highly regarded or seen as especially significant in Chile, which may also have affected Allende’s international prospects.

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Sundowns, meanwhile, will be keen to retain a player regarded as a key force in midfield. If the club can meet the financial demands required to keep him, Allende could remain in Tshwane while also becoming eligible for permanent residence.

That change would allow him to be registered as a non-foreigner, potentially making his continued presence even more valuable to the club.

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Allende will officially be free to sign a pre-contract agreement with another club in January, leaving Sundowns with limited time to determine whether their influential midfielder will remain beyond the end of the current deal.