What Becomes of Man U, PSG’s Interest in Osimhen Given Player’s Turkish Transfer Record?

As the curtains closed on the Süper Lig transfer window last week, Nigerian-born striker, Victor Osimhen shocked the world when he emerged as the most valuable player in history ever to join the Turkish top division. This is courtesy of his loan move from Napoli to Galatasaray valued at €100m putting him €70m ahead of second-placed Nicolò Zaniolo when the latter moved from Roma to Galatasaray at a market value of €30m in February 2023.

During the winter transfer window, no fewer than 133 players departed the Turkish top-flight with 101 of them making the move to the European league. Turkish clubs spent about €77 million on new players over the period. Since then, the most notable is the arrival of Victor Osimhen in the summer. Sportblot reports that the 26 year old’s journey to becoming Turkey’s most valuable import began after a failed permanent transfer last summer. This was when his €130m release clause proved too expensive for Chelsea and Saudi clubs.

The subsequent loan move to Galatasaray raised eyebrows across Europe, but the Nigerian striker has vindicated the Turkish giants’ faith with stellar performances. Osimhen justified his valuation by scoring 20 goals and providing five assists in 25 appearances across all competitions for the Turkish giants. This includes six in the Europa League and 14 Super Lig goals, with Galatasaray so far unbeaten in the Turkish top-flight.

Notwithstanding this feat, the 2023 CAF African Player of The Year, who joined Napoli from Lille in 2020, fell out of favour at Napoli after attempting to force a move to Chelsea and Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia on transfer deadline day. With those moves collapsing, he joined Galatasaray in a surprise switch. There, he played a pivotal role in firing Galatasaray to the top of the Super Lig while also helping the club progress to the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League. They now have a big mountain to climb after a 4-1 first-leg loss to AZ Alkmaar during Osimhen’s absence.

Enter Manchester United and Other Contending Suitors

While Victor Osimhen is set to return to Napoli at the end of the 2024/25 season before securing a permanent transfer, Manchester United are at the forefront of the bid to sign him, angling to cash in at the end of June when Osimhen’s release clause will be dropping to €80million (£66million). Osimhen has been linked to the Red Devils for quite some time, but this season in particular has seen those links increase with United seeking a proven goal scorer to bolster their attack. United’s current strikers, Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund, have struggled to meet expectations. This is even as the Red Devils are currently without several first-team regulars, with Amad Diallo and Lisandro Martinez both ruled out for the remainder of the season. Diallo is sidelined with an ankle injury, while Martinez is recovering from anterior cruciate ligament surgery.

All of this has led to Ruben Amorim’s men struggling in front of goal through the season so much so that they have been relegated to the 15^th spot in the Premier League table. With the manager now under immense pressure, an overhaul of the playing squad and reinforcement of the attack are therefore expected. This explains Old Trafford’s interest in the Super Eagles striker as their new number nine. It has been widely claimed that Napoli are expected to sell Osimhen permanently in the summer with the 26-year-old's contract in Naples expiring in 2026. However, any bid for him by Man U could depend on the budget they can spend in the summer within the limitations of the Financial Fair Play.

However, Manchester United faces serious competition from Juventus who, despite completing the loan signing of Randal Kolo Muani from Paris Saint-Germain in January, have a lofty target to replace Dusan Vlahovic, with Victor Osimhen in a bid to overhaul their attack. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have been linked to Victor Osimhen during the last two transfer windows. With both United and PSG offering different sporting projects, the will of the Nigerian International will be decisive. Paris Saint-Germain, have also expressed strong interest, adding to the competition. While PSG offers Osimhen the chance to play in the Champions League and at a top club currently performing at the highest level, the allure of leading Man United’s revival under Amorim might prove irresistible for Osimhen.

This is even as Italian journalist Niccolò Ceccarini recently reported that Juventus sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli and his team are working on securing Osimhen’s transfer. The Bianconeri plan to meet Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis to discuss a potential deal with a €75m bid. The Old Lady are banking on the sale of Vlahovic, whose agents recently halted contract extension talks after the club refused to increase his wages, to help fund the move for Osimhen.

Credit: YahooSports

Wild Wage Demands Threaten Osimhen’s Move to Europe

The wages of the 2023 CAF African Player of The Year are also very high, around £200,000 per week, a sum he is unwilling to drop down from. This has been pointed to as the major reason he did not move to Chelsea. Osimhen has reportedly demanded £500,000-a-week wages before he completes a move to Chelsea, a salary the Blues were reluctant to pay or negotiate as they look to reduce their wage bill, which is one of the main reasons they have decided to offload Raheem Sterling.

In the same vein, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his new board are working hard to bring down the wage bill at Old Trafford and will only pay out huge salaries for specific players, not Osimhen. Last week the club revealed a loss of £27.7m in their second quarter financial results and the Red Devils have lost more than £300m over the past three years. The poor financial standing of Man U can thwart wage negotiations as Osimhen is known for his outrageous wage demands. They also have to contend with the continued pressure from the Premier League’s profits and sustainability rules (PSR).

Amid all of this, Fabrizio Romano, reported of late that PSG saw a €210m bid rejected by Napoli for Victor Osimhen (26) and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (24) during the summer transfer window. According to the Italian journalist Emanuele Cammaroto, “…the Naples club aren’t willing to sell [Osimhen] to Juve and if the latter still insist, Napoli could demand €100m.”