Why Osimhen is joining Galatasaray after his failed Chelsea move

Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has decided to move to Galatasaray due to the club’s need for a top striker and Napoli’s desperation to get him out of their wage bill, Soccernet.ng reports.

It has been a torrid summer for Osimhen due to the issues surrounding his future. The 25-year-old striker joined Napoli in 2020 and grew to become a force at the club. He registered 76 goals and 18 assists in 133 games.

He also became the first African to win the Italian Capocannoniere when he registered 26 league goals in the run-up to Napoli’s Scudetto win two seasons ago.

His brilliant performances have attracted some of the top clubs in Europe, with Chelsea, Arsenal, Al Ahli and Liverpool reportedly interested in him. Unfortunately, he failed to seal a transfer away from Napoli.

Chelsea had talks with the Nigerian striker, but they failed to reach an agreement as the Blues were offering a pay that was far less than his current pay at Napoli.

Even with his inability to seal a transfer away from Napoli, the new coach at the club, Antonio Conte has refused to let Osimhen back into the team.

With the transfer window in the top five leagues closed and Napoli unwilling to accept him back, the Nigerian has been faced with just two options which is to join a club outside the top five leagues in Europe or stay at Napoli till January.

Today, Soccernet.ng reported that Osimhen had completed a four-month loan transfer to Galatasaray.

In a follow-up report by TuttoNapoli, it was revealed that Galatasaray decided to sign Osimhen due to Mauro Icardi’s injury. Obviously, Osimhen is a big upgrade for Icardi.

In another report by Buchi Laba, Napoli jumped at the offer as they wanted to get Osimhen off their wage bill. The Nigerian is currently their highest earner, and it would be a nightmare for their accounts if they had their highest-paid player just following.

Galatasaray are expected to unveil Osimhen in the coming hours.