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These are Africa's most expensive football transfers as Liverpool eye a record breaker

Where are the most expensive transfers involving African players?

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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.

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With Liverpool eyeing a potential $75 million deal for RB Leipzig's Guinean star Naby Keita,Business Insider SSA lists the players he would usurp as the priciest on the continent..

10. Yaya Toure - Manchester City

Yaya Toure joined Manchester City from Barcelona on a £24m fee and found a new role in the Premier League as a marauding playmaker cum defensive midfielder of near unparalleled technical ability and strength.

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The Ivorian midfeilder has without doubt been a success at the Etihad, winning two Premier League titles and the FA Cup.

Reunited with Pep 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 - Phoenix Rising FC Marseille to Chelsea £24m (2004)

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

Drogba's expensive capture back in 2004 wasn't a roaring success straight away - joining Chelsea from Olympique Marseille for £24m.

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He is considered as one of Chelsea's all-time greatest payers He is ranked fourth in the list of the club's all-time top scorers.

8. Michael Essien - Lyon to Chelsea £24.4m (2005)

34-year-old Essien is currently plying his trade with Persib Bandung after terminating his contract with Panathinaikos.

In 2005, after one of the summer's longest transfer sagas, Chelsea made former Ligue 1 Player of the Year Essien their most expensive ever signing - completing the deal for £24.4.

A powerful box-to-box midfielder, Essien was an instant success and won two Premier League titles and four FA Cups before moving on.

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The Ghanaian eventually joined AC Milan in 2013, after spending a season on loan with Real Madrid.

7. Yannick Bolasie - Crystal Palace

The bandy-legged baller joined Everton in 2016 for £25m after a couple of seasons impressing at Crystal Palace.

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 - İstanbul Başakşehir

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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 for £25m.

Despite scoring 14 league goals in his first Premier League campaign, 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 İstanbul Başakşehir.

5. Wilfried Bony - Manchester City

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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 for £28m.

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 - Leicester City

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.

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Fresh off their Premier League success, Leicester City eventually secured the Algerian striker's signature for a club-record £28m fee.

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 - Manchester United

Bailly was that rarest of transfers when he arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2016 for £30m.

Bailly was highly-rated but not exceptional in La Liga, where he had only completed two seasons of first team football.

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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.

2. Sadio Mane - Liverpool

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 for £34m.

However, 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.

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1. Mohamed Salah - Liverpool £34.3m

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.

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