African footballers are shaking up the sport beyond the pitch, setting new records and commanding enormous fees in the transfer market. OLAMIDE ABE breaks down the top ten transfers, analysing how these stars rose through the ranks and which clubs paid big for their talent

Victor Osimhen (€183.30m)

Victor Osimhen sits at the summit of African football’s money movers, with an eye-watering cumulative transfer haul of €183.30m. His journey began in January 2017 when he left Ultimate Strikers Academy in Lagos for VfL Wolfsburg, a move worth €3.50m. This early step into Europe was modest in financial terms but monumental for his career. After limited opportunities in Germany, he found new life in Belgium. A loan move to RSC Charleroi in 2018 eventually became permanent in 2019, costing the Belgian club €3.50m.

From Belgium, he moved to Lille in France for €22.40m and after just one season, Napoli splashed out a record €78.90m in 2020. The Nigerian continued to prove his worth as one of Europe’s top forwards, which led to Galatasaray paying €75m in 2025 to bring him to Turkey after a successful season-long loan spell that saw him scoring 37 goals. With five paid transfers in total, his career has generated €183.30m in fees, making him the African leader in cumulative transfer spending.

Sadio Mané (€130.20m)

Senegalese legend Sadio Mané comes second on the list with a combined €130.20m from five transfers. His professional career began with Génération Foot before moving to Metz and later RB Salzburg for €4m. His value skyrocketed at Southampton, who sold him to Liverpool for €41.20m in 2016.

After becoming a Champions League and Premier League winner with Liverpool, Bayern Munich signed him for €32m in 2022. His latest move came in 2023 when Saudi Arabian giants Al-Nassr paid €30m to secure his services.

Sébastien Haller (€116.25m)

Ivory Coast striker Sébastien Haller has commanded a total of €116.25m in transfer fees. He began at Auxerre before moving to Utrecht for €750k in 2015, where his goals earned him a €12m transfer to Eintracht Frankfurt.

West Ham broke their transfer record to sign him for €50m in 2019, though he later left for Ajax for €22.50m. Dortmund then spent €31m on him in 2022. Haller has since experienced multiple loans, including a spell in Spain with Leganés, before returning to Utrecht in 2025 on a free transfer.

Mohammed Kudus (€115.80m)

Ghana’s Mohammed Kudus has quickly risen into the elite, with €115.80m in cumulative fees from just three paid transfers. Starting out at Right to Dream Academy, he joined Danish side Nordsjaelland before moving to Ajax for €9m in 2020.

West Ham signed him for €43m in 2023, where his stock continued to grow. In 2025, Tottenham Hotspur broke the bank with a €63.80m move, placing Kudus firmly among Africa’s most valuable exports.

Achraf Hakimi (€111.00m)

Moroccan right-back Achraf Hakimi is next on the list, with a total of €111m. After coming through Real Madrid’s academy, he joined Inter Milan for €43m in 2020. A year later, Paris Saint-Germain paid €68m to sign him, making him one of the most expensive defenders in the world.

Geoffrey Kondogbia (€106.00m)

Central African Republic midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia has amassed €106m across six paid transfers. His journey began at Lens before moving to Sevilla for €4m in 2012. Monaco then secured him for €20m, followed by a €36m transfer to Inter in 2015.

After a loan spell at Valencia, the Spanish side signed him permanently for €22m before Atlético Madrid acquired him for €16m in 2020. His latest move was to Marseille in 2023 for €8m.

Riyad Mahrez (€103.30m)

Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez ranks seventh with €103.30m. Starting out at Le Havre, Leicester City spotted his talent and paid €500k in 2014. His success in England earned him a blockbuster €67.80m transfer to Manchester City in 2018, where he won multiple Premier League titles.

In 2023, Mahrez moved to Saudi Arabia, joining Al-Ahli for €35m.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (€99.55m)

Gabonese forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has generated €99.55m in transfer fees across his career. His early moves included a €1.80m transfer from AC Milan to Saint-Étienne before Borussia Dortmund signed him for €13m in 2013.

His peak came in 2018 when Arsenal spent €63.75m on him. Later spells at Barcelona, Chelsea, and Al-Qadsiah included both paid and free transfers, before his return to Marseille in 2025 on a free.

Nicolas Pépé (€98.00m)

Although Nicolas Pépé has only generated €98m, he remains Africa’s most expensive player for a single transfer, when Arsenal paid €80m to sign him from Lille in 2019. Prior to that, Lille had signed him from Angers for €18m.

Since leaving Arsenal in 2023, Pépé has moved on free transfers to Trabzonspor and Villarreal, highlighting how his value has declined despite his earlier record-breaking fee.

Naby Keïta (€91.25m)

Guinean midfielder Naby Keïta completes the top ten with €91.25m in transfer fees. His big breakthrough came when RB Leipzig signed him from RB Salzburg for €29.75m in 2016.

Liverpool then paid €60m for his services in 2018, making him one of Africa’s most expensive midfielders at the time. More recently, he left Liverpool on a free to join Werder Bremen before sealing a loan move to Ferencváros in 2025.