a very lively transfer window for African players

Obviously, no transfer will come close to that of Lionel Messi. The arrival at Paris-Saint-Germain (PSG) of the best player in the world, six-fold Golden Ball, made official on Tuesday August 10, crushes everything in its path. However, the summer transfer window is not limited to this exceptional transfer. Thus, some clubs in the world of football have not hesitated to shed substantial sums to attract the most promising African players.

The Moroccan Achraf Hakimi, new recruit of Paris-Saint-Germain, at the Parc des Princes, in Paris, on July 8, 2021.

PSG, again, paid Inter Milan 60 million euros (plus 11 million euros in bonus) to acquire the Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi (22), a player trained at Real Madrid. His former captain in the national team, Mehdi Benatia (34 years old), meanwhile decided to leave the Al-Duhail club (Qatar) to return to Europe. The former defender of Bayern Munich and Juventus Turin has signed up with the modest club of Fatih Karagümrük (Turkey), where he will receive an annual salary (excluding bonuses) of 2 million euros, significantly less than during his three seasons in the Persian Gulf, where he broke 5 million euros.

If Mehdi Benatia leaves Qatar, other African players arrive. This is the case of the Tunisian Ferjani Sassi (29 years old), recruited by Al-Duhail from the prestigious Zamalek club in Cairo. Algerian Djamel benlamri (31 years old) left Lyon to join the Qatar Sports Club. This is also the case forAndre Ayew (31 years old): the Ghanaian, at the end of his contract with Swansea City (Wales), will play in a club against which his father, Abedi Pelé (ex-Marseille player), played in 1983 when he was playing under the colors of Al-Sadd Sports Club.

John Obi Mikel (34), the former captain of the Nigeria Super Eagles, also left the UK and Stoke City to land in Kuwait SC. The 2013 African champion will discover his eighth club there. This training also recruited the Congolese veteran Dieumerci Mbokani (35 years old), at the end of his contract with Royal Antwerp. As for Ben Malongo (27), striker of the Leopards of the Democratic Republic of Congo, he chose Sharjah SC, after two full seasons at Raja Casablanca. The Emirati club paid 3.5 million euros in transfer fees.

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But it is in Europe that the transfer market is the most lively. Thus, the Ukrainian club of Chakhtar Donetsk paid 10 million euros to Ajax Amsterdam to acquire the Burkinabé striker Lassina Traore (20 years). In Spain, Villareal, winner of the 2020-2021 Europa League, found the arguments to convince Betis Sevilla and Stade de Reims to release the Algerian defender respectively Aïssa Mandi (29 years old) and the Senegalese striker Boulaye Dia (24 years). The sale of the first brought in 8 million euros to the Andalusian club, while 14 million euros arrived in the Champagne coffers.

Free since his tumultuous departure from Galatasaray in March – he had criticized the Istanbul club and its leaders in an interview – the Moroccan Younes Belhanda (31 years old) decided to stay in Turkey. He will play this season at Adana Demirspor, promoted to Ligue 1, where he will earn 1.5 million euros per year. Gabonese midfielder Mario lemina (27 years old) is back in France. The former Olympique de Marseille and Juventus Turin player has left Southampton for Nice. The English club have recovered 4.5 million euros.

However, the amount of transactions can be much larger, including for players without much notoriety. Thus, Stade Rennes bought the young Ghanaian striker Kamaldeen Sulemana (19 years old) 15 million euros at FC Nordsjaelland (Denmark). England’s Brighton have paid € 23m to lure the Zambian midfielder to the Premier League Enock Mwepu (23 years old), from Salzburg. As much as Bayer Leverkusen for the Ivorian defender Odilon Kossounou (20 years old), who until then played at FC Bruges.

The Ivorian Maxwel Cornet in Lyon, August 3, 2020.

The last three weeks of the transfer window should be particularly busy. Thus, the Ivorian Jeremiah Boga (24) is courted by Nice, Marseille, Lyon and Atalanta Bergamo, which has sent an offer of 23 million euros to his club in Sassuolo (Italy). His compatriot Maxwel Cornet (24 years old), to whom Lyon granted an exit voucher, interests the English of Burnley and the Germans of Hertha Berlin. The transfer is expected to be negotiated around 12 million euros.

Senegalese Mbaye Niang (26 years old), under contract with Rennes, has no shortage of suitors. Besides Nantes and Venice, Anderlecht, Celtic Glasgow and Nottingham Forest are interested in the Lion of Teranga, which is estimated to be worth 5 million euros. His teammate in selection, Keita Balde (26), whose future seems blocked in Monaco, could engage with Inter Milan. Algerian Islam slimani (33) could leave Lyon for the benefit of Sporting Lisbon or the Saudis of Al-Hilal or Al-Ittihad Jeddah.

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Moroccan Hakim Ziyech (28) will he tread the Italian lawns this season? Under contract with Chelsea, the midfielder was for a time targeted by Lyon, but the French club, cooled by the player’s monthly salary (500,000 euros) and the amount of a possible transfer (40 million euros), withdrew from the race. Today it is AC Milan which seems best placed to welcome him.

Finally, the Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly (30 years old) has no shortage of suitors: PSG, Everton, Real Madrid, Manchester United … But Naples does not plan to sell his player for less than 50 million euros, while no offer greater than 35 million has not yet reached the desk of Aurelio de Laurentiis, the president of the club, hard in business …