The transfer saga is over! Nigerian sniper Osimhen transfers to Galatasaray

The summer transfer period in European football is over. However, one scintillating story has only now come to an end. Victor Osimhen, after months of speculation, is moving to Galatasaray Istanbul in Turkey. PSG, Al Ahli and Chelsea in London were interested in him.

If you look at his numbers, you will immediately see that he is a footballing extravaganza. Osimhen has been at Napoli since the 2020/21 season, where he has worked his way up to the role of number one striker. In 108 games in the top Italian competition, he scored a remarkable 65 goals. By far the most successful season was the 2022/23 season, when Napoli even managed to win the title, with Osimhen making a significant contribution, scoring 26 goals.

However, the idyllic days in the south of Italy are probably over. Napoli lost their coach Spalletti after their championship run, and they also stopped doing well in terms of play, which resulted in only a 10th place finish last season.

Thus, Osimhen has already hinted during the season that he doesn’t feel happy at the club and will be looking to leave in the summer. At first it looked like an interesting tug of war between the rich clubs. For Osimhen had long been wanted by PSG Paris, who were looking for a replacement for Mbappé. In Naples, there was also a delegation of Chelsea, who could undoubtedly use a striker of this type.

Turkey instead of big money

But then the Saudi phenomenon of Al Ahli came on the scene. The Nigerian was obviously very keen on this transfer, but the Italian club’s management did not give their approval.

The problem was apparently the amount of the severance package. This led to a conflict with the player himself, which even resulted in his removal from the roster. Moreover, Osimhen’s number 9 was given a new acquisition in the form of the highly experienced Romelu Lukaku.

The deliverance came from a somewhat unexpected location, namely Turkey. Osimhen joins Turkey’s most successful club of the last two years on a one-year loan without an option. One more factor adds to the curiosity of the transfer.

He has already begun his mission at Galatasaray by greeting the boisterous Turkish crowd, who will duly appreciate his presence. Indeed, the trend in recent years has been for players to go to Turkey rather to finish their careers. Osimhen, however, is only 25 years old and should be in his prime.

However, one more factor adds to the curiosity of the transfer. That’s because according to the Transfermarkt website, the Nigerian’s value is around €100 million, which is more than the value of most individual cadres in the Turkish top flight.

Osimhen can thus be expected to roll in Turkey. Let’s see how long before the internet is flooded with videos of his first goal.

Source: Transfermarkt, X – Fabrizio Romano