Victor Osimhen has joined Galatasaray on loan after a permanent transfer away from Napoli did not materialize on deadline day.
Chelsea and Al-Ahli both attempted to secure Osimhen’s signature in the final hours of the transfer window but were unsuccessful in reaching an agreement with Napoli.
Reports suggest that Osimhen insisted on including a break clause in his loan contract with Galatasaray, allowing him to move to Arsenal, Chelsea, or Liverpool in January.
Negotiations between Chelsea and Napoli hit a deadlock, and the two clubs could not come to terms before the window closed.
Al-Ahli had initially reached an agreement with Napoli, but the Italian club raised their financial demands at the last minute, leading Al-Ahli to withdraw from the deal and instead sign Ivan Toney from Brentford.
Ultimately, Osimhen joined Galatasaray on a temporary deal, with the Turkish club agreeing to cover his full salary of £176,000 per week without paying a loan fee.
However, the Nigerian international has reportedly kept his options open for a potential move to the Premier League in January.
While discussing the loan with Galatasaray, Osimhen reportedly requested that his deal be terminated in January if he receives an offer from Arsenal, Chelsea, or Liverpool, according to A Spor. Bayern Munich is also said to be on the list of clubs he would consider.
In the meantime, it has been reported by Fabrizio Romano that Napoli has reduced Osimhen’s release clause to approximately £63.2 million.
Napoli also holds the option to extend the striker’s contract until 2027 if he is not sold next summer, with his current contract set to expire in 2026.
Osimhen had been eager to leave Napoli since the beginning of the summer after expressing his desire to seek a new challenge.
He was excluded from all pre-season matches by head coach Antonio Conte, who made it clear that Osimhen had played his last game for Napoli.
Speaking after their win over Parma last weekend, Conte said: “This is the team. This is the group. 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.”
