Victor Osimhen, the unsettled Napoli striker, is on the brink of joining Galatasaray after the Italian club and the player agreed to a loan move to the Turkish side on Monday. Despite a failed transfer to Chelsea, the 25-year-old still has a chance to leave Napoli, as the Turkish transfer window remains open until September 13.
The news, first reported by the Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport on Monday, was corroborated by Nigerian sources close to Osimhen, including Wazobia FM's Buchi Laba and Sulaiman Adebayo, also known as Pooja, who confirmed the rapid progress of the deal.
Sky Sport Italia and RMC Sport revealed that Napoli approved a dry loan to Galatasaray, meaning there would be no option to buy, provided the Turkish club covers Osimhen’s full salary, which amounts to nearly €11 million per season. Alternatively, Galatasaray could have paid a loan fee, with the wages split between the two clubs.
Napoli’s director of sport, Giovanni Manna, confirmed to Sports Digitale in Turkey that talks were ongoing and that an agreement was close. Pooja Media also reported that both clubs agreed to include a €130 million release clause, which could be triggered by other clubs as early as January 2025.
Osimhen is reportedly eager to join Galatasaray, especially given the possibility of being sidelined until the January transfer window if he remains with Napoli. While his preferred move was to the Premier League before the summer transfer window closed last Friday, negotiations with Chelsea fell through due to a disagreement over wages. Chelsea offered €4 million per year plus another €4 million in performance-related bonuses, significantly less than his €12 million annual salary at Napoli.
Napoli also reportedly agreed on a €70 million transfer fee plus €10 million in bonuses with Al-Ahli, which would have included €40 million in annual wages for Osimhen and a reasonable release clause for a future return to Europe. However, Napoli’s demand for an additional €5 million led to the collapse of that deal, frustrating the Saudi club.
Following the breakdown of these negotiations, Napoli has been firm in their stance that Osimhen would not be welcomed back into the squad, especially after the player reportedly declared his desire to leave the club months ago. In Istanbul, Osimhen will reunite with his former Napoli teammate Dries Mertens. Although he had hoped to join a Champions League team, he will still have the opportunity to compete in the Europa League with Galatasaray, facing off against Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax.
