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High-profile African stars such as Victor Osimhen, Achraf Hakimi and Kevin-Prince Boateng have already secured moves during the ongoing transfer window, but which other deals could be completed before the close of business on Oct. 5? Here are the unanswered questions involving African players which will be resolved before the window slams shut on Monday evening. Will Partey's move to Arsenal get over the line? As the big African saga of the transfer window, few would have predicted that we'd still be talking about Thomas Partey's potential move to Arsenal so close to deadline day, considering how intensely the deal has been discussed throughout the English summer. Back in June, sources in Spain reported that the Gunners were on the brink of offering €50 million to sign the Ghana powerhouse from Atletico Madrid, but almost four months later, he remains with the Rojiblancos. While renewing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's contract was surely Mikel Arteta's biggest signing, Partey is understood to be seen as a key component in his Arsenal vision, and could solve a problem that the Gunners have had difficulty with since Arsene Wenger's tenure. However, the Gunners may well have to sell first to raise funds to get Partey over the line, and with the likes of Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira still at the club, time is running out. Complicating matters, the return to the fold of Egypt's Mohamed Elneny from his loan stay at Besiktas gives Arteta -- to some degree -- the presence and the combativeness that he'd hope for from Partey, which means he may prioritise a move for Olympique Lyonnais playmaker Houssem Aouar. Should Arsenal complete a deal for Aouar -- they've already had a €35m bid rejected -- then a move for Partey will likely have to wait. Could Zaha secure Crystal Palace exit? Last summer, Zaha's seemingly imminent Crystal Palace exit was one of the key transfer talking points, although ultimately, his would-be buyers Arsenal opted to move for LOSC Lille's £72m man Nicolas Pepe instead. Zaha's mood fell and his form slumped, but he's started this season strongly, with his magnificent showing against former club Manchester United in Palace's second match reminding fans of his elite qualities. Could it also tempt one of his would-be suitors to move for him before the end of the window? Eagles boss Roy Hodgson has revealed the forward's ongoing desire to move on. "He thinks it would be nice if a club did come in and pay that market price," Hodgson told journalists after their victory over Southampton. "Let's see what transpires, for me hopefully nothing." Palace would require over £50m for the 27-year-old, but which clubs would really stump up that amount for a player who's demonstrated he can blow hot and cold? Everton, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund have been named as potential destinations for the Ivorian, while former employers Manchester United might see some merit in signing Zaha as an x-factor up front if they cannot pull off a deal for Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho. Will unwanted Moses, Aurier, Baba, Slimani get the moves they need? As we approach the end of the window, some of the African players presently out of favour at their current employers may be getting a little anxious about their prospects of spending the first half of the new season training with the reserve team and seeing zero competitive action. At Chelsea, Victor Moses has been there before, having spent the first six months of Maurizio Sarri's tenure sidelined after being deemed surplus to requirements by the Italian coach. He's facing up to the same situation again, with Frank Lampard confirming earlier this week that the Nigeria wideman wasn't in his plans. "We have a bubble at the training ground with the first-team squad, which Victor isn't a part of," Lampard told journalists. "I know [him] well and we'll see how that develops over the next week." At 29, Moses is still in his prime, although with time running out and an absence of tangible transfer talk, another loan move away from Stamford Bridge is looking more likely than a permanent deal. His teammate Abdul Rahman Baba may well be even lower down the pecking order in West London. The left-back's career has unravelled since sustaining a devastating injury during the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations while on duty with Ghana, and he's struggled to rediscover his previous form across loan spells at Schalke 044, Stade de Reims and Real Mallorca. Slightly less desperate for a move, perhaps, is Serge Aurier of Tottenham Hotspur, who has been tipped for the likes of Spartak Moscow and AC Milan during the window so far. The signing of Matt Doherty at Spurs immediately relegates Aurier to the role of back-up, but he still has a decision to make; accept life as a rotational option in the cups for Jose Mourinho, or seek a reboot elsewhere. Even if Aurier is keen to exit, it remains to be seen whether the Rossoneri and the North Londoners can agree a fee for the 27-year-old. Finally, at Leicester City, Islam Slimani is another high-profile African star who clearly has no future at his current employers. He's struggled to replicate the form he showed at Sporting Lisbon in the Premier League, although a loan move to AS Monaco last term resulted in nine goals and seven assists, testament to his enduring class. The Telegraph reported on Tuesday that newly promoted West Bromwich Albion are considering the veteran as they look to give themselves more clout up top, but the Foxes would prefer to offload the 32-year-old permanently. Are Sarr and Benrahma destined to remain in the Championship? Despite being hotly tipped for a move to the Premier League -- or beyond -- throughout the transfer window, Watford's Ismaila Sarr and Brentford's Said Benrahma remain in the Championship as the days tick down before the window closes. It's a particular surprise in the case of Benrahma, who proved himself to be too good for the second tier last term as he weighed in with 17 goals and nine assists to underpin the Bees' promotion push. However, after initially sitting out the first few games of the season, he made his first appearance of the new campaign -- a 17-minute cameo against Millwall on Saturday -- suggesting that Brentford may well have started including him in their plans once more.  The Londoners' head coach has acknowledged that he wouldn't stand in the way of a Benrahma exit for the appropriate fee: "If the price is right, we're open because that's the way the club operates," he told Football London. Aston Villa have already signed Ollie Watkins from Brentford and may return for Benrahma, while Crystal Palace are also monitoring the situation, with Hodgson making no secret of his admiration for the attacker. Arsenal and Chelsea were heavily linked with the forward's signature earlier in the window. Just over a year after Watford paid a club record £25m to sign him from Stade Rennais, Sarr is facing up to life in the second tier with the Hornets, which is surely an unacceptable scenario for a player of his quality. Premier League fans saw that class in glimpses last term -- notably as Sarr netted twice as Watford ended Liverpool's undefeated streak -- but as yet, no one has taken a punt on the Senegal wideman. He's been tipped as a potential target for Liverpool to spruce up their forward line, while the Standard believe that Manchester United have held discussions about moving for Sarr should they fail in their bid to get Sancho over the line. Sarr's Watford teammate Isaac Success is another player who may be looking for an exit before 11pm on Monday, although the Hertfordshire-based side may have trouble shifting a player who made just five Prem appearances -- all from the bench -- as they were relegated last term. Any other business? South Africa midfielder Bongani Zungu was linked with a move to Rangers FC earlier in the window, and the Scottish giants have reportedly renewed their interest in his services ahead of deadline day. The Bafana Bafana star was relegated with Amiens last term as Ligue 1 was wrapped up early due to coronavirus, and is unlikely to wish to remain in Ligue 2. Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for both AS Roma midfielder Amadou Diawara and Red Bull Salzburg striker Patson Daka. Sources in Italy suggest that both Spurs and Arsenal have sounded out Diawara's representatives about his availability, while a deal to bring Zambia's Daka to North London may have to wait until 2021 as the Austrian heavyweights are unwilling to sell him during the current window. Their resolve to keep their man may be tested if Spurs fail in a bid to bring Napoli's Arkadiusz Milik to the capital. Finally, Manchester City's signings of Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake close the door on a potential move for Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly to the Etihad Stadium... and one of the few clubs who could afford him. However, centre-backs of Koulibaly's qualities are few and far between, and with various European giants struggling at the back, could any make a late-window bid for his services? Liverpool, Everton, PSG, and Manchester United are just some of the clubs tipped to be considering the centre-back, whose arrival could have a significant impact on the race for Champions League qualification. PSG were also linked with his services earlier in the window.
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