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€75m fee rumoured
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Africa remains one of the most passionate continents in the world for football with millions of supporters following their favourite teams. The domestic leagues across Africa aren’t comparable to the top European leagues due to infrastructure and financial disparities but some of the most talented players in recent history were born on the continent. The African Cup of Nations (AFCON) draws attention from all around the world with the biennial event next taking place in Morocco, starting this December.
Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah will be aiming to win his maiden AFCON title, after finishing runner up in 2017 and 2021, with Morocco the most valuable African nation on Transfermarkt at €370m. Ivory Coast will be determined to defend their crown while Victor Osimhen will be aiming to fire Nigeria to glory. Osimhen is centre of one of the biggest transfer sagas this summer with Galatasaray poised to sign him permanently for a club record fee, but where will the deal land in terms of the most expensive African players of all time? Let’s find out.
The most expensive African players of all time
Arsenal’s €80m acquisition for Nicolas Pépé remains the record fee paid for an African player. The Ivory Coast winger impressed in Lille but it proved to be a disastrous signing with Pépé failing to impress in North London and left on a free transfer to Trabzonspor four years after signing. Osimhen currently ranks second after Napoli paid Lille €78.9m to sign him in 2020 but his move to Galatasaray won’t eclipse that total.
It’s understood that there’s an initial agreement for Galatasaray to pay Napoli €75m but the structure of the deal is yet to be finalised with an initial fee to be complimented with installments and add-ons. The final figure would match Omar Marmoush’s €75m move from Frankfurt to Manchester City, which currently occupies third place. Achraf Hakimi’s €68m move from Inter Milan to PSG and Riyad Mahrez’s €67.8m arrival at Man City complete the current top five. Mohammed Kudus’ €63.8m move to Tottenham from London rivals West Ham this summer entered the top ten in sixth position.
