Victor Osimhen closes in on Napoli exit after Chelsea transfer collapse

Galatasaray are closing in on a deal to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen on loan, according to reports.

Chelsea had held extensive negotiations with Napoli over a deal for the Nigeria international in the closing stages of the transfer window last week but failed to reach an agreement with both the club and the player.

Napoli had also accepted an €80 million (£67.3m) offer from Al-Ahli but Osimhen once again turned down a move to the Saudi Pro League for the second successive summer.

But with the Turkish transfer window still open, Galatasaray have now agreed a deal with Napoli to sign the striker on loan for the remainder of the season, with the Nigerian set to travel to complete a medical ahead of the deal’s official confirmation.

According to The Athletic, the loan deal will not include an option or obligation to buy the striker but will feature a break clause should other clubs revive their interest in singing Osimhen permanently when the window reopens in January. In that circumstance, the Turkish club would receive a fee.

Galatasaray are in the market for a striker to provide competition for Mauro Icardi, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury for at least a month. They have won both of their games in the Turkish Super Lig this season and are playing Tottenham in the Europe League in November.

Prior to the move, Napoli boss Conte had made it clear that Osimhen would not be reintroduced to the squad having been left out of his Napoli squad since the start of pre-season.

‘No, this is the team. This is the group,’ Conte said after his side’s 2-1 win over Palma on Saturday.

‘We made decisions. I mentioned coherence before. Those who are not consistent don’t respect the rules. I repeat, respect to the club. The president proved consistent despite losing important money, credit where credit is due.

‘The club were consistent, knowing that if the situation had unlocked earlier, we would all have been advantaged. As I said, we’ve started rebuilding. Good players arrived. They were on the table. It took us time to understand and think about it, but we signed them, and I am happy.

‘We didn’t do everything and it’s okay but I think the club did well.’

Speaking at the weekend, Napoli’s director, Giovanni Manna, also revealed that Osimhen remains intent on leaving Napoli, despite a move to the Premier League now off the table until January.

‘The situation is very clear, it has been since the end of last season. Victor expressed his absolute desire to not stay at Napoli, to not play for Napoli, and we tried to make him happy,’ Manna said.

‘Then there is a demand and an offer, we thought that we had concluded the negotiations, but then it did not go through. We bought Lukaku, kept Raspadori and Simeone, which was not to be taken for granted.

‘At this moment, we maintain the same consistency we had since the start – he expressed the desire to no longer play for Napoli and so we made other choices.’

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