Ex-international Mutiu Adepoju has described Victor Osimhen’s return to Galatasaray as a game-changing move, after the Nigerian striker arrived Istanbul on Wednesday to complete the €75m transfer, PUNCH sports Extra reports.
Over a week after Napoli and Galatasaray agreed on his permanent transfer, Osimhen arrived in Turkey on Wednesday ahead of his medical on Thursday, receiving a hero’s welcome from ecstatic fans who tracked his flight and gathered at the airport to greet him.
Osimhen is joining the Turkish giants on a permanent deal after enjoying a successful loan spell from Napoli last term, scoring 37 goals plus eight assists in 41 games across all competitions...READ FULL; FROM THE SOURCE.
In the process, he helped the club to a domestic title, winning the Super Lig and Turkish Cup.
“Victor Osimhen touched down in Istanbul to a massive welcome from thousands of Galatasaray fans,” Adepoju posted via X.
“Another superstar transfer. Great talent; great representation. Game-changing moves right there.”
The 26-year-old also became the most expensive player in the history of the Turkish Super Lig.
The long-running transfer saga reached its conclusion after months of negotiations between the two clubs. Galatasaray will pay €40m up front, with the remaining €35m to be sent to Napoli by 2026.
The deal includes a critical “anti-Italy clause” that forces Galatasaray to pay double the transfer fee if Osimhen joins a Serie A club before 2027.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis added the clause to prevent the 26-year-old from resurfacing with a domestic rival.
The 26-year-old arrived at Napoli in 2020 from Lille in a deal worth €78m.
In his four seasons in Naples, he fired the club to their first Serie A title in over 30 years during the 2022/23 season.
He scored 65 goals and 16 assists in 108 Serie A appearances. His highest-scoring campaign in Italy was the title-winning 2022/23 when he netted 26 goals to become the league’s highest goal scorer.
