With his future up in the air and subject to constant speculation across the continent, Rulani Mokwena has given Wydad Casablanca a huge financial ultimatum in the event of the Moroccan giants exercising the option to terminate his contract.

Reports emerged from Morocco last week indicating that the 22-time Moroccan champion is ready to pull the plug on the South African tactician following a 1-1 draw against Olympic Club de Safi last Wednesday.

The stalemate was Wydad’s sixth consecutive draw in the Botola Pro League, with their last victory dating back to February, a decline that has the team in danger of missing out on a CAF Champions League spot for two successive campaigns.

Mokwena’s charges are in third place in the Moroccan top-flight standings with 45 points collected in 27 league outings. The Casablanca-based outfit is six points behind second-placed AS FAR with three games left to play.

Mohamed Amine Benhachem, who was roped in as a technical director earlier this month, is said to have taken over the reins on an interim basis until the end of the season, with the board actively looking for a permanent replacement.

However, despite the much-circulated reports, Wydad is yet to officially announce the departure of Mokwena or the temporary appointment of Benhachem in the hotseat – a move that further raises eyebrows.

Now, fresh reports in North Africa suggest the reason for the delay is due to Mokwena’s financial demands, with the former Mamelodi Sundowns coach believed to have asked for his full dues along with his assistant’s worth 600 million centimes (R 46 774 940.10) to terminate his contract according to Al Akhbar newspaper.

It is said that the club’s hierarchy wants to offer the 38-year-old mentor a three-month salary as compensation to amicably part ways via mutual agreement. Mokwena is currently studying the offer and will decide whether to leave or insist on receiving his full payment.

Interestingly, Wydad President Hicham Ait Menna is reportedly keen on making a U-turn in the club’s decision to sack Mokwena, who was brought in to restore glory days on the red side of Casablanca and lead the team to the FIFA Club World Cup in the USA in June.