Yaya Toure, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Riyad Mahrez lead the nominations for 2015 African Player of the Year

 

Yaya Toure is looking to win a fifth consecutive African Player of the Year title after being included in the initial 37-man shortlist.

 

The Premier League boasts 12 nominees, including in-form Leicester winger Riyad Mahrez and Southampton's Sadio Mane, while Yannick Bolasie and Andre Ayew also make the cut.

 

Toure has won the Confederation of African Football title for the past four years, but will have to beat the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bayern Munich's Mehdi Benatia if he is to secure a record fifth.

The Manchester City midfielder is currently level with Samuel Eto'o for the most Player of the Year titles won (four), and this year's winner will be revealed at a ceremony on December 22.

 

Mohamed Salah, still technically on Chelsea's books although unlikely to make a return to Stamford Bridge, has made the shortlist after netting nine times for Fiorentina in the second half of last season.

 

Aubameyang is perhaps Toure's closest rival though, having already notched a remarkable 10 goals in eight Bundesliga games for Borussia Dortmund this season. 

 

Other names on the list include former Arsenal midfielder Gervinho, now at Roma, and Stoke forward Mame Biram Diouf. 

Eto'o has not been given the opportunity to challenge Toure for a fifth title, despite scoring five goals for Antalyaspor in Turkey this season.

 

Montreal Impact's Didier Drogba, who has won the title twice in the past, also fails to make the initial 37-man shortlist.