Transfer Rumours: 15 Top African Talents Linked to a Major European Move

Tottenham midfielder Steven Pienaar
Tom Dulat/Getty Images

While Tottenham's South African winger Steven Pienaar (shown above) has already been a prominent player in Europe, not all of his African brethren have gotten their chance at a high profile club.

The African Cup of Nations is usually a hotbed of talent that is scouted annually by some of the best clubs in Europe, and many of those players find their way to UEFA sanctioned clubs.

With the summer transfer window swiftly approaching, there are once again many African-born players that are either near a move to Europe or are close to making a step into a higher European division.

Here is a look at some of the best talents from the African continent, and where they may or may not end up.

Salomon Kalou

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Chelsea winger Salomon Kalou has been linked with multiple moves away from the London club.

AC Milan, Juventus and even Arsenal have all been rumored to be interested in the Ivory Coast wide player.

Mehdi Benatia

Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

Moroccan international and Udinese player Mehdi Benatia has been linked with a move to Manchester United by The Sun.

He has been a huge part of Udinese's success in the Serie A the last two seasons, and he is expected to have a chance at moving to several big European clubs this summer.

Samuel Inkoom

Getty Images

Ghana defender Samuel Inkoom has been linked with moves to both Liverpool and Chelsea in the past year, and he could still be in line for a move to Europe this summer after his performance at the African Cup of Nations.

Jonathan Pitroipa

Gallo Images/Getty Images

Burkina Faso and Rennes winger Jonathan Pitroipa has already spent a large amount of time in Germany with Freiburg and Hamburg, and his latest move to France is already showing great results.

He has not been as much of a transfer target this summer, as his nation was not very impressive at the 2012 African Cup of Nations.

However, he is still a great talent at 26-years-old.

Adel Taarabt

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Queens Park Rangers' Moroccan winger Adel Taarabt was linked with a move to Paris Saint Germaine throughout much of the 2011 summer transfer window.

However, his move never materialized, as his poor form at the start of the season failed to impress.

Since then, he has finally started to improve heading into the summer 2012 window. If QPR go back to the Championship, he could be one of the first sold on.

Thulani Serero

Gallo Images/Getty Images

Ajax Amsterdam picked up South African Thulani Serero in 2011, and he has been a great addition to the squad during their run to the 2011-12 Eredivisie title.

However, much like any other talented young player that is seen in the Dutch league, he is likely to be the subject of interest in the coming summer.

Kermit Erasmus

Gallo Images/Getty Images

South African youngster Kermit Erasmus has been linked with a move away from his current club, Supersport United of South Africa, to Hungarian club Videoton.

Erasmus did spend time in the Eredivisie with Feyenoord Rotterdam, but at the time he had still not started to grow into his talent.

In the coming years the 21-year-old should start to show more development and be back in the major club's spotlight.

Abdoul Camara

Guinea youngster Abdoul Camara has already been in the French Ligue since 2008.

The 22-year-old moved to French club Sochaux this past summer and continues to impress, hoping to move up the club ladder in the next transfer window.

Andre Ayew

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

Andre Ayew was heavily linked with possible moves to Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Chelsea in the past transfer window.

However, his new contract with Marseille will cool transfer speculation for at least the moment, but there is still a chance a club could come in and try to buy him out.

Knowledge Musona

Gallo Images/Getty Images

Zimbabwe attacker Knowledge Musona joined TSG Hoffenheim this past summer, but with only a handful of appearances to his name, the former Kaizer Chiefs star could be looking to make a move elsewhere in the summer of 2012.

Asamoah Gyan

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan joined Sunderland in a high profile move in 2010.

However, the 2011-12 season saw the club pocket a good bit of cash to allow him to go out on loan to Al Ain, where he made 21 appearances scoring 20 goals so far at the UAE Club.

Unfortunately, he could now move to Al-Ain permanently, which could be a huge blow to Sunderland's plans for next season.

When he first came to England, before his move to the Arabian Peninsula, he had been rumored a target of Liverpool and other major clubs.

Emmanuel Mayuka

EuroFootball/Getty Images

Both Arsenal and Newcastle have been linked to 21-year-old Zambian attacker Emmanuel Mayuka.

He was one of Zambia's heroes in their road to the 2012 African Cup of Nations title, and already has 33 caps and nine goals for his country.

Currently he plays for BSC Young Boys in the Swiss Super League.

Seydou Doumbia

Getty Images

CSKA Moscow striker Seydou Doumbia has been sensational his entire time in Russia, just as he was previously at BSC Young Boys in Switzerland.

With an astonishing strike rate of a goal every 70 minutes between both clubs, it is no wonder the Ivory Coast international has been linked to both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur since last fall.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Gabon forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang currently plays for French club Saint Etienne.

He was originally owned by AC Milan from the age of 18 to 21, but spent the majority of his time on loan.

With 16 goals in 46 appearance for Saint-Etienne, he is starting to find his form and grow into his potential. He was picked by Bleacher Report for a possible major European move after his performance at the African Cup of Nations.

Youssef Msakni

Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images

Arsenal has been linked with 21-year-old Tunisian midfielder Youssef Msakni.

Currently he plays for Esperance de Tunis, where he has 66 appearances with 29 goals.

Conclusion

Some of these talents are more known and some less. Either way most all of them have the potential to be in line for a move to a big European club this summer.

Thanks for reading, and be sure to check out more on Bleacher Report and at the links below. You can follow me on Twitter @thedailyatz and Facebook, or visit my website.