Osimhen Pushes Napoli For Galatasaray Move, Ferdinand Unhappy
Victor Osimhen is edging closer to a permanent transfer to Galatasaray, with the Nigerian striker urging Napoli to finalise the move to the Turkish champions.
Renowned transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano broke the news late Tuesday night, revealing on 𝕏 Victor Osimhen, 26, has made his stance known to the Italian side.
“Victor Osimhen has informed Napoli of his desire to get the deal sealed with Galatasaray ASAP,” Romano posted.
He added that Galatasaray are prepared to trigger Osimhen’s €75 million release clause but are currently locked in negotiations with Napoli over the structure of the payment, which the Turkish club hopes to spread over five years.
The Nigerian forward, who has already agreed to personal terms on a deal running until June 2028 with an option for an extra year, appears set on making the move. Talks have advanced rapidly since the weekend, when Romano ruled out any move to Manchester United.
At that time, only three clubs were seriously in the race: Galatasaray, Juventus, and Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal. While the Saudis reportedly tabled a lucrative offer, Osimhen declined, prioritising a move to a European club.
Napoli initially rejected an opening bid of €60 million from Galatasaray, but the Serie A club is reportedly open to accepting a slightly lower figure than the full release clause due to Osimhen’s contract entering its final year.
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand weighed in on the transfer saga during an appearance on talkSPORT. When asked about United’s striker crisis, he didn’t hide his frustration.
“I’m like a broken record. If anyone listens to my podcast, I’ve said Osimhen for a while now. He’s a centre-forward, he’s experienced, he knows how to score goals at the top level,” Ferdinand said.
“I’ve seen that Galatasaray have put a £50m bid in. I mean, £50m to get a top-class striker, one of the top strikers in the world, is absolute peanuts in today’s market. I’ll be disappointed if he goes to Galatasaray for that type of money when Man United are crying out for a No.9.”
Although United have also kept tabs on Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres, Ferdinand remained adamant that Osimhen would be the better signing.
“I’ll be disappointed to miss out on Gyokeres if we don’t get a No.9 in. But if we got Osimhen, then I wouldn’t be too concerned,” he added.
Osimhen’s move could have a ripple effect on other transfers as well. Galatasaray’s plan to offload Alvaro Morata is currently on hold pending the conclusion of the Nigerian’s deal. Morata is expected to join Serie A side Como once Galatasaray secure Osimhen.
Romano confirmed this via a post on 𝕏: “Álvaro Morata will become the new Como player from AC Milan… as soon as Victor Osimhen re-joins Galatasaray.
“The condition for Gala to break Morata’s loan deal and send him back to Italy is for a new striker to join. And Osimhen’s currently one step away from Gala’s return.”
With the player’s mind made up and a contract already in place, the final hurdle remains the agreement between Napoli and Galatasaray.
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