After declining offers to leave the team during the January transfer window, which has now ended in the majority of his designated European leagues with the exception of Turkey, Super Eagles attacker Victor Osimhen will serve out his one-year loan stay at Galatasaray.
In the summer, Osimhen moved from Napoli to Galatasaray on loan, with no purchase option.
Due to personal reasons, the player who had distanced himself from the Napoli hierarchy and left the negotiating table for possible moves to Chelsea and Saudi Arabia turned to the Turkish powerhouses as a final resort.
His move to Galatasaray was widely celebrated by the fans of the club and they soon feared that the Nigerian was going to leave six months into the contract after he hit the ground running with goals and assists.
Galatasaray’s technical director, Okan Buruk, also confirmed that there was a clause in Osimhen’s loan transfer from Napoli that allows the player to join one of his numerous suitors during the January transfer window.
“There is a clause there, but it doesn’t matter; he said he will stay. There is a clause about transfers in January. This clause has different things,” Buruk said in November 2024.
“The important thing is the player. The player who decides. That’s why Osimhen says he will stay here. He said the same thing when he came.”
Following talks of a potential exit in January, the Super Eagles striker expressed his commitment to Galatasaray, telling reporters after scoring a brace against Tottenham in the Europa League in November 2024.
“I will not leave in January; I am at Galatasaray until the end of the season. I do not know what Galatasaray and Napoli are talking about afterwards, but if they come to me, we will talk,” he said.
Indeed, Premier League giants Manchester United and Arsenal launched attempts to sign the player from Napoli, but Osimhen reportedly rejected the moves, standing by his promise to Galatasaray to see out his loan spell.
According to Football Italia, the 26-year-old reportedly rejected a deal to join Manchester United during the January transfer window after the club tried to explore ways to end his loan deal at Galatasaray.
