Yan Diomande (Real Madrid, Ivory Coast)
Diomande enters the season as one of the most expensive teenagers in football history, completing a club-record €140 million move from RB Leipzig. The 19-year-old arrives off a strong World Cup and must now prove he’s worth the fee.
Relebohile Mofokeng (Union Saint-Gilloise, South Africa)
Mofokeng has made an instant impression in Belgium since leaving Orlando Pirates, scoring the winning penalty in the Belgian Super Cup on his first appearance before following it up with a goal on his league debut.
Pape Gueye (Villarreal, Senegal)
After a stellar World Cup campaign, Gueye has quietly become one of La Liga’s most reliable defensive midfielders since joining from Marseille, continuing to anchor a Villarreal side pushing for European football again this season.
Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City, Ghana)
Semenyo made an instant impact after his January move from Bournemouth, scoring three goals and an assist in his first five games. A Premier League Player of the Season nomination followed, capping a remarkable rise for a player once rejected by four London academies.
Ismaïla Sarr (Crystal Palace, Senegal)
Sarr enters the season as Palace’s reigning Player of the Season after a nine-goal campaign, arriving full of confidence following four goals for Senegal at the World Cup.
Ibrahim Mbaye (PSG, Senegal)
Mbaye is attracting concrete interest from Liverpool despite limited senior minutes at PSG. His underage record and international breakthrough, including a goal against France at the World Cup, suggest the ceiling is high.
Ismael Saibari (Bayern Munich, Morocco)
Saibari joins Bayern Munich off the back of an Eredivisie Player of the Season campaign at PSV, scoring 15 goals and adding eight assists before signing a five-year deal. He scored in all three of Morocco’s World Cup group games and was one of the competition’s lethal finishers.
Mohamed Salah (Trabzonspor, Egypt)
Salah begins a new chapter after nine years at Liverpool, joining Trabzonspor as a free agent on a two-year deal worth around €17 million a season. Still Africa’s most recognisable footballer, he captained Egypt to the World Cup’s knockout stage.
Ayyoub Bouaddi (Manchester City, Morocco)
Bouaddi is expected to complete a move from Lille worth up to £90 million before the window closes, after a breakout World Cup campaign made him one of Europe’s most sought-after teenage midfielders.
Olwethu Makhanya (Rangers, South Africa)
Makhanya completes the list after a £3 million move from Philadelphia Union, becoming the third Bafana Bafana player to join Rangers after Bongani Zungu and Dean Furman. The central defender was a standout in the MLS and will look to build on that reputation in Europe’s biggest competitions this season.
Photo: Etsuo Hara/Getty Images
