Turkish league giants, Galatasaray have reportedly reached an agreement with Napoli over the signing of Victor Osimhen on a loan deal till the end of the 2024-2025 season.
Galatasaray are ready to cover the player’s salary of €9-10 million in a season. The loan agreement does not include a buy option to sign the Nigerian striker next season.
The Galatasaray delegates are currently at Napoli in an attempt to get the green light from Osimhen.
According to sports journalist Fabrice Hawkins, Osimhen will travel to Galatasaray for his medicals today. He will be the latest addition to the Galatasaray side.
The Nigerian striker was a transfer target for Premier League side Chelsea and Saudi Arabia Pro League team Al Ahli. However, those two clubs failed to sign Osimhen because of wage structures and preference, respectively.
He could have moved to Chelsea football club, but the West London team offered a huge reduction in salary, which Osimhen was not interested in accepting.
Al Ahli signed Ivan Toney over the Nigerian when the English star showed extreme interest in playing for the club.
After the closure of the transfer window on August 30, 2024, he was reportedly banished from the Napoli first-team squad.
The relationship between the player and the club is currently broken, with Osimhen looking forward to playing for another football club this season.
The striker who scored 17 goals for Napoli last season was replaced by former Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian striker scored for Napoli in his debut match against Parma.
Osimhen joined Napoli from Lille in 2020 for a transfer fee worth €70 million plus €10 million in add-ons.
He has scored 76 goals in 133 appearances for the football club Napoli. Osimhen drove the Serie A giant to their first Scudetto in 33 years in the 2022–23 season.
The striker scored 26 goals in the 2022–23 season which was his most impressive campaign as a Napoli player. However, his performance last season couldn’t secure the Scudetto for the Napoli side.
Napoli finished in 10th place during the last league campaign, missing out on the European tournament. Antonio Conte is expected to return the club back to their glory days.
Will Victor Osimhen Succeed In Galatasaray In The 2024-2025 Season?
The Nigerian is a top striker who has shown his scoring ability coupled with strength and agility on the ball.
Even though he will be playing for another football club for the first time since 2020, he is much more likely to succeed.
The Turkish League is known for their toxicity towards footballers when their club loses a football match.
There are situations where fans come onto the pitch to beat players. A fan came onto the pitch to fight against Fenerbahce’s President, Yıldırım Ali Koç after the club suffered a defeat.
The Serie A is similar to the Turkish League in terms of toxicity. Since Osimhen performed beyond expectations in the Serie A with Napoli, he is expected to drive Galatasaray to the Turkish League title ahead of Fenerbahce.
