By Charles Mgbolu
It’s happening again, so brace yourself for tearful goodbyes from some of your favorite players as European football gets into the summer transfer window.
The transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club transfers players from other playing staff into their own.
In the January 2023 window, the English Premier League reached a new spending record of £815 million coughed out for transfers, nearly doubling the previous record of £430 million spent in 2018's winter window.
Players who have performed exceptionally have seen their market value jump, while those whose playing time had slumped in the last season are searching for new opportunities that would boost their value and competitiveness.
So where are African players likely to head off to when the window opens in June?
Here’s our list of five top players and projections:
Victor Osimhen (Nigeria)
The Nigerian Napoli FC attacker surely tops our list and tops the list of pretty much every top club in Europe. Napoli is doing everything to keep him, but enticing offers are wafting in from abroad.
Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea are all reported to be in the race for the 24-year-old's signature, with some clubs reportedly prepared to double his current salary of €4.5 million per season.
Napoli, however, is doing everything in their power to keep him. Napoli is preparing to offer Osimhen, a lucrative new deal. The contract would also include a release clause of €160 million.
Osimhen has, however, given strong hints that he may remain with Napoli, at least for another season.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon)
Football pundits say Aubameyang's Chelsea move has been pretty needless, as he did not make big ripples at Stamford Bridge.
The media is rife with rumors that Aubameyang will try to end his contract with Chelsea, which should expire on June 30, 2024, in order to transfer back to his former club, Barcelona.
The Gabonese striker only contributed three goals and one assist for Chelsea in the whole of the season.
Sadio Mane (Senegal)
Like Aubameyang, Sadio Mane's move from Liverpool to Bayern did not work out as anticipated. No doubt, Liverpool really missed the Senegalese forward’s input, but he has been unable to find his rhythm in Germany.
Despite the setbacks, there are no indications yet if he wants to leave Bayern Munich. Perhaps he wants to give himself more time to see if he finally clicks with his teammates.
Kelechi Iheanacho (Nigeria)
Leicester City have been relegated after seven years of high-powered performances that looked to have a fairy tale ending when Nigerian attacker Kelechi Iheanacho joined from Manchester City in August 2017.
Iheanacho has struggled to find form following a lack of game time, only starting in 11 of his 33 appearances this season, and will be looking to call it time and move on.
The ‘vultures’ are already circling around him, and Inter Milan is rumored to be interested.
Edouard Mendy (Senegal)
The Senegalese goalkeeper is unhappy at Chelsea, especially with his current contact arrangement.
The 30-year-old is one of the lowest-paid players in the squad and has not been able to reach an agreement with the club over a contract renewal.
This may be the nudge he needs towards the exit, with AC Milan, Monaco, and Nice already beckoning with enticing offers. Mendy is valued at €30 million (£26.2 million), according to the CIES Football Observatory, with his current deal set to expire in 2025.
