Victor Osimhen is set to complete a permanent move to Galatasaray this summer after a messy couple of years with Napoli, but where did it all go wrong for the Nigerian?
Why Does Victor Osimhen Want To Leave Napoli?
The Nigerian’s time in Naples has been filled with ups and downs, winning the Serie A Golden Boot to help Napoli win their first Scudetto since 1990, before seemingly falling out of love with the club the following season.
Victor Osimhen joined Napoli for a club record fee of $82 million (plus $12m in add-ons) during the summer 2020 transfer window, after an impressive spell with Lille in France.
In his third season with Napoli, the Nigerian international scored 26 league goals in Napoli’s Serie A title winning campaign and was also handed the African Football of the Year award.
Putting in such a strong performance, the prolific striker was rewarded with an extended deal in December 2023 that would earn Osimhen over $12m per year and make him the highest paid player in club history.
However, following campaign appeared to spark the beginning of the end for Osimhen in Naples, scoring 15 league goals and enduring a disjointed season through injuries and AFCON.
Aurelio De Laurentiis, President at Napoli, revealed that Osimhen would leave the club at the end of the 2023/24 season and this news came just months after the striker agreed a new deal.
This irked Osimhen, especially as his new deal included a reported $140m release clause due to the Nigerian’s strong 2022/23 campaign – but his performance in 2023/24 meant no club would risk this fee.
So, Osimhen refused to accept a lower salary to compensate for the transfer fee and was now pushing for a move away from Italy to another huge European side.
The relationship between Napoli and Osimhen completely broke down after Napoli refused Al Ahli’s $170m offer, as the Italian side wanted around $5m more and the Saudi Arabian side walked away – despite being heavy favorites to sign Osimhen on Serie A betting sites.
Alongside this, Antonio Conte was appointed in July 2024 and wanted to send an instant message by signing Romelu Lukaku, as Osimhen’s frustrations at the club continued to grow.
The Nigerian striker looked to be joining Chelsea in the 2024 summer window, but the Premier League side ended their interest after failing to meet Osimhen’s wage demands.
As the transfer window began to wind down, Osimhen’s chances of a major European move started to dwindle and matters were made more complicated as Conte omitted the 26-year-old from Napoli’s squad.
Osimhen’s wish of leaving Napoli was then granted as despite the transfer window closing in Italy in the opening week of September, the Turkish window remained open until September 18th.
Meaning, the former Lille striker went on to join Galatasaray on loan for the 2024/25 season, as the Super Lig side offered him a chance to escape and continue playing.
Why Is Osimhen Joining Galatasaray?
During his loan spell in 2024/25, Victor Osimhen achieved great success and went on to win the league title, Golden Boot and Turkish Cup – while also being crowned as the league’s best player.
Scoring 37 goals in 41 appearances for the Turkish side across all competitions, Osimhen showed the quality that spectators saw in 2022/23 and regained the interest from clubs around the globe.
During this summer transfer window, the 26-year-old has been linked with a plethora of sides across the globe and received more lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia.
However, offers from other teams in Europe were not progressing at the same rate and this is reportedly down to Osimhen’s extortionate wage demands.
The Nigerian turned down multiple offers from Saudi Arabia in hopes of a move to the Premier League, but this failed to materialize and the Nigerian is now on his way back to Turkey.
Galatasaray will pay around $45m during this window and pay another $40m by the end of 2026, while the deal also states that Osimhen cannot return to Italy for at least two-years.
One key factor in Osimhen’s decision is that the Nigerian will receive an extra $4m because Galatasaray met his new release clause in Naples and were one of the few teams willing to meet his financial demands.
