Here are the ten most expensive transfers involving African players of all time.
From Algeria to Zimbabwe, the continent has produced some of the beautiful game's finest players over the years...as well as some of the priciest.
Here are the ten most expensive transfers involving African players of all time.
10. Yaya Toure - Barcelona to Manchester City £24m (2010)
Manchester City's Ivory Coast midfielder
The Ivorian midfielder joined Manchester City in 2010 and found a new role in the Premier League as a marauding playmaker of near unparalleled technical ability and strength.
Despite the odd cake-related controversy, Toure has without doubt been a success at the Etihad, winning two Premier League titles and the FA Cup.
Reunited with Guardiola, initial turbulence between the pair has been overcome and 34-year-old Toure signed a one-year contract extension in June.
9. Didier Drogba - Marseille to Chelsea £24m (2004)
One of Chelsea's all-time great players and fourth in the list of the club's all-time top scorers, Drogba's expensive capture back in 2004 wasn't a roaring success straight away.
The Ivory Coast's all-time top scorer hit just ten league goals in his first season. However, club success allowed him time to find his shooting boots and he grew into his role as one the Premier League's most feared strikers.
On 12 April 2017, after nearly four months as a free agent and declining a move to Corinthians, Drogba signed for USL side Phoenix Rising FC, he also became an owner of the club making him the very first player-owner in football history
8. Michael Essien - Lyon to Chelsea £24.4m (2005)
After one of the summer's longest transfer sagas, Chelsea made 2005 Ligue 1 Player of the Year Essien (at the time) their most expensive ever signing - beating the record set by Drogba the previous season.
A powerful box-to-box midfielder, Essien was an instant success in the Premier League and collected two Premier League titles and four FA Cups before moving on.
However, injuries somewhat curtailed the latter part of his time at Stamford Bridge, limiting his impact in the famous Champions League-winning season of 2012.
The Ghanaian eventually joined AC Milan in 2013, after spending a season on loan with Real Madrid.
He currently plies his trade in Indonesia with Persib Bandung.
7. Yannick Bolasie - Crystal Palace to Everton £25m (2016)
After a couple of seasons impressing at Crystal Palace, the bandy-legged baller earned a big-money move to Everton.
However, after just 13 appearances for his new side, Bolasie suffered a devastating cruciate knee ligament injury in a clash against Manchester United that ruled him out of action for potentially over a year.
6. Emmanuel Adebayor - Arsenal to Manchester City £25m (2009)
After impressing in the post-Thierry Henry years at Arsenal - who he joined for just £3m - Adebayor signed for newly-minted Manchester City in 2009 as one of three marquee strikers alongside Carlos Tevez and Roque Santa Cruz.
Despite scoring 14 league goals in his first Premier League campaign for the Citizens, Adebayor failed to keep his place in the starting XI amid continued investment in the squad.
Adebayor subsequently had spells with Real Madrid, Tottenham and Crystal Palace and sits just three goals shy of a century of Premier League strikes.
He now plays as a striker for Turkish club ?stanbul Ba?ak?ehir
5. Wilfried Bony - Swansea City to Manchester City £28m (2015)
Following a season as the Eredivisie's top scorer with Vitesse, Bony lit the Premier League up at Swansea in the 2013/14 campaign, scoring 25 goals in his first season at the Liberty Stadium.
Manchester City pounced to bring the Ivorian target man to the Etihad in January 2015, making him of the most expensive African footballer of the time.
However, behind the prolific Sergio Aguero in the pecking order Bony failed to garner many starts at his new club despite his price tag - featuring from the beginning just 15 times in two Premier League seasons, before being loaned out to Stoke for the 2016/17 season.
4. Islam Slimani - Sporting CP to Leicester City £28m (2016)
The 28-year-old Algerian caught the attention of some of Europe's finest in Portugal's Primeira Liga, when he netted 27 times in 33 games for Sporting CP in 2015/16.
Fresh off their Premier League success, Leicester City eventually secured the Algerian striker's signature for a club-record £28m fee.
As the Foxes struggled a post-title hangover, Slimani struggled to establish himself as the star his price tag might have suggested. However, his heading prowess has at times impressed for Leicester, during their escape from a relegation battle and run to the Champions League quarter finals.
Slimani has been linked with a summer move to the Chinese Super League, but may feel he has unfinished business in the Premier League after scoring just seven in his first season.
3. Eric Bailly - Villarreal to Manchester United £30m (2016)
Bailly was that rarest of transfers when he arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2016.
The Ivorian centre back was a high-profile yet near unknown signing for many who only follow English football - the sort that have all but disappeared in the age of internet scout reports, YouTube and Football Manager.
Bailly was highly-rated but not exceptional in La Liga, where he had only completed two seasons of first team football.
However, the risky outlay appears to be paying off for Man Utd, as the 23-year-old defender already looks like the club's most capable centre back with the ability to succeed at the highest level.
In addition to United's Europa League and League Cup success in 2017, Bailly also won the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast.
2. Sadio Mane - Southampton to Liverpool £34m (2016)
Similar to Bailly, many wondered whether Mane was worth the outlay when he tread the well-worn transfer path from Southampton to Liverpool in the summer of 2016.
However, the Senegalese winger almost immediately silenced any doubters with a stunning strike in Liverpool's opening day victory over Arsenal.
Mane's blistering pace and direct brand of creativity were essential to Liverpool's success in achieving a top four finish last season, while he also finished the club's joint top scorer despite absences for the Africa Cup of Nations.
He was named both Liverpool's Players' Player and Fans' Player of the Year in 2017.
1. Mohamed Salah - Roma to Liverpool £34.3m (2017)
Joining Mane at Anfield this summer is Egyptian speed demon, Salah who has reportedly set the Reds back around £34.3m plus add ons according to reports.
The 25-year-old's tile as Africa's most expensive transfer comes off the back of two scintillating seasons in Serie A, in which he has scored 29 times and registered 17 assists for Roma.
After an underwhelming 18 months at Chelsea - who famously gazumped Liverpool for his signature back in 2013 - Salah has unfinished business in England and will be desperate to impress back in the Premier League.
Here are the ten most expensive transfers involving African players of all time. Read Full Story
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