Serie A Sides Monitor Victor Osimhen After Galatasaray Manager Reveals Financial Strain

Juventus are monitoring Victor Osimhen after Okan Buruk revealed the financial strain set by the Nigerian’s move to Turkey.

Galatasaray Manager Reveals Financial Strain Caused By Osimhen

Victor Osimhen joined Galatasaray for €75million in July after an impressive loan spell in the 2024/25 season and ended a chaotic spell with Napoli.

The Nigerian international became the highest paid player in Galatasaray history, earning a reported €20m per year (after bonuses) and changing the landscape in Turkey.

Osimhen has scored eight goals in 11 league starts this season, alongside six goals in six Champions League appearances and is proving to be a vital player for Okan Buruk’s side.

Galatasaray booked a place in the Ro16 playoffs after finishing 20th in the table and will face Juventus across two-legs in late-February, as the Bianconeri also progressed into the next stages.

Juve are looking to reach the Champions League Ro16 being eliminated from the playoff stages last season and are hoping Kenan Yildiz can step up as the Turkish nears a lucrative new deal in Turin.

However, the financial strain that has been bestowed on Galatasaray since bringing Osimhen to the club continues to become more apparent and Buruk has revealed how he could build a strong team through the Nigerian’s salary.

Okan Buruk said: “Galatasaray’s transfer fees and salaries have been going up since last year. With Osimhen’s transfer fee and salary, you could probably put together a full team.

“We need to take these things into account. We brought in some very important players for the team, such as Singo, Ugurcan, Sane, and Ilkay. Every team has a budget, and when you set up budgets at the start of the season, you need to follow that budget closely.”

Whether Buruk is suggesting that Galatasaray should sell Osimhen to build a stronger squad overall or to balance the books is yet to be seen – but his words have attracted interest from Serie A.

Juventus Pursue Victor Osimhen

Luciano Spalletti has enjoyed a strong run as Juventus manager since taking the reins from Igor Tudor in October last year – winning 13, drawing five and losing two matches so far.

The Bianconeri have moved up to fourth in Serie A and Spalletti has received huge praise from Alessandro Del Piero for his performances in Turin.

However, Spalletti is not looking to rest on his laurels and is reportedly looking to bring Victor Osimhen to Juventus during the summer in hopes of replicating their time at Napoli together.

Osimhen scored 26 Serie A goals under Spalletti during the 2022/23 season, as the two guided Napoli to a historic Scudetto before the Italian coach left to become Azzurri manager in September 2023.

Spalletti has a strong relationship with Osimhen after getting the best out of the Nigerian in Italy and is hoping to reunite with his former talisman in 2026.

Juventus are preparing to offload Dusan Vlahovic and remove the Serbian’s colossal wage bill, but face an issue over Lois Openda as the Bianconeri will be forced to sign the Belgian for €45m if they finish in the top 10.

Osimhen may be reluctant to make a move back to Serie A after fighting to leave Napoli, but his relationship with Spalletti, alongside Galatasaray’s financial situation could play key roles.