Asante Kotoko Executive Chairman Dr Kwame Kyei has confirmed that talismanic Burkinabe import Sogne Yacouba will leave the club as they cannot afford his contract renewal demands.

Representatives of  Yacouba currently in negotiations with Asante Kotoko are demanding the club commits $150,000 before the player renews his contract.

Yacouba has his contract expiring in the next three months and fans have been eager for the club to extend his stay by agreeing a renewal.

However, the club’s Executive Chairman Dr Kwame Kyei seems to have out finality to the issue by claiming Kotoko cannot afford the player’s renewal demands.

Dr Kwame Kyei in an engagement with fans after their 2-0 win over Dwarfs yesterday said  “For Sogne Yacouba, to be honest before God, that amount he demands from us, which is $150,000, we can’t give him that money. There is no way we can give that money (amount) to him, if we fail to tell you (the supporters) the truth his contract time is due and we say we can sign Sogne Yacouba then we have lied to you”.

“We discussed with him because, we had an offer for him earlier that he was supposed to go, we told him to go and we will re-sign him but he said he won’t go and he is charging us a fee of $150,000, but if we said we can pay that money then it’s a lie, we can’t “.

Yacouba has been the best player of the club since joining the side two years ago and letting him go without getting his replacement might leave a huge void in the Maxwell Konadu’s team.