The 2025-26 Premier League campaign kicks off on Friday, when Liverpool begin the defence of their title at home against Bournemouth.

Egypt star Mohamed Salah is the reigning player of the season and will be bidding to pick up his fifth golden boot as he forms a new-look front line for the Reds alongside big-money signings Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz.

A number of fellow African stars have secured high-profile transfers of their own, while there are new arrivals from countries including DR Congo, Morocco, Mozambique and Senegal.

Meanwhile, 50 players from the continent could have their Premier League campaigns interrupted by the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), which runs from 21 December to 18 January.

BBC Sport Africa casts an eye over some of the players settling in to new teams and looking to make an impression over the coming nine months.

Cameroon international Bryan Mbeumo was the subject of the biggest deal involving an African player in the close season, joining Manchester United for an initial £65m ($87m).

The 25-year-old forward scored 20 league goals and registered seven assists for Brentford last season but now faces a step up at “the club of his dreams”.

United are in a rebuilding phase under boss Ruben Amorim after finishing 15th, their worst-ever performance in the Premier League era.

Mbeumo will face instant pressure to perform alongside fellow big-money arrivals Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko – with United having spent £200m ($271m) on the attacking trio – even if there is no European football for the Old Trafford outfit.

His off-field passion for playing the piano and chess are well known, and now United need Mbeumo to hit the right notes and execute his best strategies on the pitch.

Another big transfer saw Mohammed Kudus end his two-year stay with West Ham and join Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £55m ($74m).

The Ghana midfielder impressed in his first season in east London but his second campaign was underwhelming as he struggled to adapt to Graham Potter’s wing-back system.

Kudus’ glittering performances at Ajax had made him one of European football’s hottest properties and Spurs will be expecting the 24-year-old to rediscover that form.

Featuring in the Champions League again was one reason for his switch to north London, while the Black Stars man was also enticed by the opportunity to play for new Spurs coach Thomas Frank, who has made the switch from Brentford.

“From where [Frank] has come from, and seeing the amount of talent he has developed to become great players, it’s a big sign as to why I wanted to work under him,” said Kudus.

With Spurs legend Son Heung-Min departing and James Maddison set to miss most of the season through injury, Kudus could find himself in a pivotal role from the offset.

After slipping to third place – and ending 2024-25 without a major trophy – Manchester City are expected to mount a more sustained challenge for the title.

The Etihad outfit moved early in the window for left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, and the 24-year-old has already seen competitive action with City since his £31m ($41.5m) move from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Algeria international, who described his switch as “a dream come true”, started three games at the Fifa Club World Cup before Pep Guardiola’s men exited in the last 16.

Ait-Nouri provided a serious attacking threat from wing-back even as Wolves struggled last season, bagging four goals and seven assists, and was also occasionally used in a more advanced role.

After adapting to City’s possession-based style, Guardiola will no doubt be looking for his new man to improve on those attacking metrics.

Sunderland are back in the Premier League for the first time since 2017 and have been busy in the transfer market, making 11 signings.

And there has been a distinctly African feel to their recruitment, with six of those arrivals from across the continent.

The Black Cats shelled out a club-record £30m ($40m) on Senegal midfielder Habib Diarra as well as adding DR Congo pair Arthur Masuaku and Noah Sadiki, Mozambique defender Reinildo and Moroccan winger Chemsdine Talbi

Ivory Coast’s Afcon winner Simon Adingra has also been tempted from the south coast to the north east after only starting 12 league games for Brighton last season.

As one of the few players in the Sunderland squad with Premier League experience, the 23-year-old winger will need to translate his trickery into points if the Wearsiders are to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.

Kudus may have departed the London Stadium but West Ham will still have an African in their ranks after paying Slavia Prague £19m ($25.5m) for El Hadji Malick Diouf.

Irons boss Potter says the 20-year-old Senegal wing-back is “hungry and ambitious”.

“I think he will be a very positive addition to the group,” he added.

DR Congo centre-back Axel Tuanzebe, meanwhile, will be looking to avoid a second successive relegation, having swapped Ipswich Town for Burnley.

And can teenage left-back Adam Aznou force himself into the Everton side in the Toffees’ first season at their new stadium after the Moroccan joined from Bayern Munich?

With the transfer window open until Monday, 1 September, there is plenty of time for more deals involving Africans.

DR Congo star Yoane Wissa has been angling for a move away from Brentford, while Senegal striker Nicolas Jackson has been given the green light to leave Chelsea.