Transfer market: the cases to watch before the window closes
The transfer window closes on September 1, 2026. Several African players, ranging from established stars to young prospects, could still shake things up in the final days. Here are the five hottest cases.
Oumar WANE · Author profile ·
Listen to this story
Synthetic English voice · 2 min 52 s
1. Victor Osimhen (Nigeria) to Arsenal?
This is one of the hottest sagas of the summer. While Galatasaray claimed it wanted to keep its star striker even in the face of a 150 million euro offer, things changed in mid-August.
According to several sources, Arsenal wants to bring in the Nigerian striker to reinforce its attacking squad. It remains to be seen whether the Turkish club will be willing to let its star leave, and whether the Nigerian himself will want to seek a new challenge.
Let us recall that Galatasaray paid 75 million euros to acquire Osimhen, who is under contract until 2029.
2. Ibrahim Mbaye (Senegal): the PSG-Liverpool saga
Breakout star of the last Africa Cup of Nations, the young PSG winger (18 years old) is at the heart of a financial tug of war. PSG is asking for between 70 and 80 million euros for Ibrahim Mbaye, while Liverpool wants to sign him to replace Mohamed Salah, with a five-year agreement already in place with the English club. The fee requested has soared in a few days, rising from around 60 million euros on August 20 to 70-80 million, with the outcome to be decided in the very last days of the window.
3. Ismaïla Sarr (Senegal): standoff with Crystal Palace
The most tense case at the moment. Galatasaray has made an offer to sign Ismaïla Sarr, but Crystal Palace rejected it and would only let its Senegal international go if faced with a truly significant proposal. The situation has escalated: Sarr has stopped training in order to force his move to Istanbul, missing the defeat against Everton after refusing to take part in trainings. A gap of 10 million euros separates the two clubs, with Palace demanding 55 to 60 million while Galatasaray has offered 40 million in multiple installments.
4. Krépin Diatta (Senegal): the sought-after free agent
A free agent since his time at Monaco ended, Diatta is attracting interest from several clubs, including Olympique de Marseille, which values his versatility and high-level experience. But OM is not the only club in the race: Schalke 04, Everton, and Ipswich Town are also closely following the 27-year-old winger.
5. Simon Adingra (Ivory Coast): a return to Monaco on hold
After a successful loan spell on the Rock, the Ivorian winger returned to Sunderland as the purchase option was not activated. Monaco now favors the option of a new loan, but the situation is complex: AS Roma, RB Leipzig, and several Premier League clubs have also gone on the offensive for a permanent transfer.