Pulse logo
Pulse Region

Osimhen, Ndidi more valuable than Manchester City and Arsenal stars as Salah and Mane take the lead

It is the transfer market season, which means the price of the brick is going up, pardon us for the Marlo Stanfield quote. 
Osimhen, Ndidi, Salah and Mane are among the Most Valuable African Players
Osimhen, Ndidi, Salah and Mane are among the Most Valuable African Players

The 2021/2022 season is officially over, following the conclusion of the UEFA Nations League, Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and the FIFA World Cup playoffs. 

This season is the longest in recent years as players had to turn up for international duty after club football.

Despite the fact there's no World Cup this summer, players still had to deal with international football, with the Nations League, AFCON Qualifiers and FIFA World Cup playoffs all taking place. 

Nonetheless, the season is officially over, with no football match for at least the next four weeks. However, while the football season is over, the transfer season has officially kicked off, which only means money. 

ALSO READ: Benfica confirm Darwin Núñez transfer agreement with Liverpool

Liverpool signing Darwin Nunez for £85 million means Jurgen Klopp no longer has an excuse

Inter open talks for Lukaku over possible return

With the transfer season in full swing, it only means ridiculous monetary value on players flying around in the media space. African players are not left out of this conversation as they have also been involved in some of the biggest transfers in history. 

With that said, Pulse Sports Nigeria takes a look at Africa's top ten most valuable players this summer. 

Mohamed Salah (Egypt) €90.00m

Sitting pretty at the top is Liverpool's Mo Salah, and rightly so. The Egyptian king has been arguably Africa's best player in the last four years. Salah joined Liverpool from AS Roma for €35.00m in 2017. 

However, he currently has a market valuation of €90.00m, which is quite low considering what he has done for Liverpool since he signed for the club. 

Since signing for the Reds, Salah has always finished as Liverpool's top scorer in the Premier League. In his debut season, he broke the record for most goals scored in a single Premier League campaign with 32 goals. He also finished as the joint top scorer in the just-concluded season with 23 goals. 

Salah's highest market value was €150.00m, but with the Egypt star now 30, his value has dropped to €90.00m.

Sadio Mane (Senegal) €70.00m

Behind Salah is his Liverpool teammate, Mane. Mane joined Liverpool from Southampton one year before Salah for €20.00m, but he is now valued three times more at €70.00m. 

Like Salah, Mane has also played a key role in Liverpool's success in the last five years. The Senegal star helped the Reds win the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League a year later. He has scored 120 goals and recorded 48 assists since signing for the club. 

Mane is expected to leave Liverpool this summer for Bayern Munich, although the Bavaria giants are yet to agree on a transfer fee with the Reds. 

Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) €65.00m

Hakimi is one of the best right-backs in the world and is the joint-third most valuable African player at €65.00m, rightly so. The Moroccan star played a valuable role as PSG reclaimed their Ligue 1 title. 

A brilliant full-back who is good offensively and defensively, Hakimi stands alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James and Joshua Kimmich as the best in their positions. 

Victor Osimhen (Nigeria) €65.00m

Osimhen is one of the two Nigerians in the top five. The 23-year-old has the same value as Hakimi, €65.00m. However, while Salah is the most valuable player, Osimhen is the most expensive African player on this list, having joined Napoli for €75.00m from Lille in 2020. 

Osimhen's days at Napoli could be numbered, though, as he is attracting interest from a host of European clubs after scoring 18 goals for the Neapolitans last season. 

However, potential suitors will need to pay a fee in the region of €100.00m to sign the Nigerian international. 

Wilfred Ndidi (Nigeria) €60.00m 

Ndidi rounds up the top five. The Leicester City midfielder is valued at €60.00m, which highlights his growth since he joined the Foxes from Genk for €17.00m in January 2017. 

Since joining Leicester City in 2017, Ndidi has gone on to establish himself as one of the top defensive midfielders in the world. 

He missed a part of the just-concluded season, but he showed his quality in the months he was available. 

Franck Kessie (Ivory Coast) €45.00m

Kessie, like Ndidi, is also one of the best midfielders in the world right now. The Ivory Coast star, who is Barcelona bound on a free transfer, has a market value of €45.00m. 

Kessie recently helped AC Milan win their first Serie A title, scoring six goals in 31 appearances. 

Wilfried Zaha (Ivory Coast) €38.00m 

Zaha sits in seventh place with a value of €38.00m. The Ivory Coast star's valuation is low, though, considering what he did for Crystal Palace in the just-concluded season. 

He was the Eagles' best player in the Premier League, scoring 14 goals and providing one assist in the 33 games. 

Thomas Partey (Ghana) €38.00m

Partey joined Arsenal for €50.00m in 2020, but his value has dropped by €12.00m, with the Ghanaian star now valued at €38.00m. 

Injuries played a part in Partey's drop after he played just 24 league games for the Gunners. Also, the ex-Atletico Madrid man had a mixed performance in the games he played. 

Riyad Mahrez (Algeria) €35.00m

Mahrez sits in the eighth position on the list. The ex-African player of the year is valued at €35.00m, but that is because of his age and not his performance. 

Mahrez was one of Manchester City's best players in the just-concluded season. The Algerian international's 11 goals and five assists in 28 league games helped Pep Guardiola's men beat Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool to the League title by one point. 

Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso) and Sebastien Haller (Ivory Coast) €35.00m

Tapsoba and Haller also have an estimated value of €35.00m. Tapsoba joins Hakimi as the two defenders on this list. He plays dominantly as a centre-back, playing 22 times for Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga last season. The 23-year-old is highly rated and regarded as one of the best defenders in the German top flight. 

Meanwhile, Hallers also had a remarkable season with Ajax in the just-concluded season. He was one of Africa's most prolific goalscorers with 34 goals and nine assists in 43 games for the Dutch Champions. 

Haller made history in the Champions League last season, scoring in all Ajax group stage matches. Despite Ajax's second-round exit, he finished the competition with 11 goals, the third-highest. 

Figures provided by Transfermarkt.

Next Article