Victor Osimhen became the most expensive signing in the history of Turkish football in the last few hours after Galatasaray completed a €75 million transfer deal for the Napoli striker, who will receive an annual salary of €15 million from the Lions excluding bonuses and image rights.
“We have a very good team. I believe that with my team-mates and my own qualities, we will achieve much greater success next season. We will give everything on the pitch, not only in the league and in the Cup but also in the Champions League, one of our main goals,” the 26-year-old Nigerian striker said late yesterday after the signing ceremony of his new contract, which ties him to Galatasaray for the next four years.
A key player in Napoli’s 2023 Serie A league title win, Osimhen arrived in September 2024 in Istanbul and played last season on loan at Galatasaray, scoring 37 goals and providing 7 assists in 41 matches, becoming a key player in the Turkish team’s third consecutive and 25th Turkish league title win in their history.
According to Turkish media reports, based on the details of the deal published by Galatasaray on the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP), Galatasaray finally agreed to pay 75 million euros to Napoli in exchange for Osimhen plus 10% of the profits from the next sale of the player, making the Nigerian the most expensive transfer in the history of Turkish football.
Tough negotiations with Napoli
News reports reveal that negotiations between the club presided by Dursun Ozbek and the Italian side were not easy; after Osimhen agreed on 6 July to stay at Galatasaray, his vice-president Abdullah Kavukcu travelled to Italy two days later, where an initial offer of 50 million euros was raised to 60 million euros, the main obstacle being Napoli’s insistence on a termination clause.
Ultimately the deal between the two clubs was finalised at 75 million euros, but negotiations dragged on due to a disagreement over the form of payment, with Galatasaray proposing 5 payments over 4 years and the Italian side demanding a letter of guarantee. In the end, a payment of 40 million upfront and 35 million to be paid within one year – plus 10% of the next transfer profit – was agreed, and Galatasaray committed not to sell the Nigerian to Italian clubs for at least two years.
Osimhen will receive a salary of 15 million a year from Galatasaray
As part of the four-year deal, Osimhen – who arrived in Istanbul late on Wednesday – will receive an annual salary of 15 million euros from Galatasaray, a net bonus of one million euros per season, and an additional 15 million euros per year in image rights for the use of his name, image and other associated elements in the club’s marketing and promotional campaigns.
The deal by which Galatasaray have added Osimhen to their squad surpasses the previous most expensive signing in Turkish football history, set in July 2024 by Fenerbahçe when they brought in Youssef En-Nesyri from Sevilla for 20 million euros.
The Nigerian striker joins other recent signings from the Lions, such as German international Leroy Sane (who arrived in June from Bayern Munich), but also old acquaintances such as Argentine Mauro Icardi, who missed most of the 2024-2025 season due to a partially torn cruciate ligament, but is expected to be fully recovered by September to rejoin the Turkish team.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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