Napoli striker Victor Osimhen will reportedly land in Turkey on Wednesday ahead of a proposed €40million (£34m) move to Galatasaray, thus ending his long-running transfer saga and Chelsea links. The Nigeria forward was the subject of interest over a switch to Stamford Bridge last summer, but that deal fell through at the eleventh hour.
After such speculation regarding his future was played out, in public, he failed to make an appearance for Antonio Conte’s side in Serie A before snubbing a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia to join the Turkish giants on loan. The 26-year-old is into his final year in Naples and, throughout the summer, the reports surrounding an exit from the Italian champions have remained prevalent.
Chelsea have been mooted with his services, but have moved for younger attackers in the form of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap after fending off their Premier League rivals for their signatures. According to Fabrizio Romano, Osimhen will return to Istanbul today to complete the final stages to make his move to Galatasaray permanent.
It has been suggested that the deal will initially be worth €40m (£34m) with an extra €35m (£30m) next summer, as well as a sell-on clause included as part of the move.
In a post on Instagram, Romano wrote: “Victor Osimhen will be in Istanbul on Wednesday for Galatasaray!
“Flight scheduled as all documents are signed, Napoli receive €40m now and €35m in 2026 plus a sell-on.
“Osimhen will undergo medical on Thursday after he’s set to land in Istanbul in the next 24 hours, all done.
“… here we go, confirmed.”
Osimhen netted 26 goals last season, adding five assists helping Okan Buruk’s side to a third successive domestic crown. His attacking exploits also landed Galatasaray the domestic double with his brace seeing off the challenge from Trabzonspor in the Turkish Cup final.
The Nigeria international, 26, received a heroes’ welcome when he touched down in the region for his initial loan move last summer, Chelsea’s Premier League rivals Manchester United were reported to have been considering a move.
It was claimed by Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport that Ruben Amorim’s side were considering a player-plus-cash deal for Osimhen which would see Joshua Zirkzee go the other way, owing to United’s reluctance to pay his £65million release clause.
However, the reports now suggest he is heading back to the region on a permanent basis.
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