Turkish Süper Lig giants, Galatasaray, have made a serious splash within the switch market by securing Napoli’s famend striker Victor Osimhen on a season-long mortgage.
The Nigerian ahead, sidelined at Napoli resulting from some inside squabbles, will don the yellow-red jersey till June 2025.
The deal got here after a failed transfer to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli, who balked at Napoli’s inflated worth of 85 million euros ($94 million) and a possible transfer to Premier League facet Chelsea.
Osimhen’s spat with Napoli’s president Aurelio De Laurentiis led to his exclusion from the squad and a jersey swap with new arrival Romelu Lukaku.
Seizing the chance, the Lions proposed masking Osimhen’s 11 million euro annual wage for the mortgage, a deal Napoli accepted.
Galatasaray govt Ibrahim Hatipoğlu finalized the switch in Italy and introduced Osimhen to Istanbul within the early hours of Tuesday.
Galatasaray’s switch methods
With the switch window closing quickly, Galatasaray are additionally focusing on midfield reinforcements.
Negotiations are underway with Adrien Rabiot, Weston McKennie, and Filip Kostic.
Rabiot is ready to resolve on a proposed 8 million euro annual wage, whereas talks with Juventus over McKennie and Kostic are progressing.
In protection, Galatasaray are eyeing Alexsandro Ribeiro from Lille, former Borussia Dortmund stalwart Mats Hummels, and Ajax’s Ahmetcan Kaplan to bolster their backline.
Osimhen’s arrival, affect
Upon his arrival in Istanbul, Osimhen was greeted by a sea of followers at Atatürk Airport.
Expressing his pleasure, he remarked on the electrical ambiance and his eagerness to hit the sector.
He additionally recalled his optimistic experiences with former Napoli teammate Dries Mertens, who had inspired his transfer.
Foreign participant milestone
With the addition of Osimhen and Ismail Jakobs, Galatasaray’s rely of overseas gamers has reached 206 for the reason that 1959 Süper Lig season.
This interval noticed 201 overseas gamers from 52 nations don the membership’s colours.
Osimhen, valued at 100 million euros by Transfermarkt, was named Africa’s Best Player in 2023.
He was additionally a Ballon d’Or nominee and a contender for FIFA’s Player of the Year.
Aktürkoğlu’s bids farewell
Meanwhile, Galatasaray have bid farewell to Kerem Aktürkoğlu, who has signed with Portuguese giants Benfica in a deal value 12 million euros, plus a ten% share of any future switch income.
Aktürkoğlu’s departure marks the tip of a chapter that highlights his journey from the rubble of a devastating earthquake to the heights of European soccer.
Born on Oct. 21, 1998, in Gölcük, Türkiye, Aktürkoğlu’s formative years was marked by a harrowing occasion.
At simply 10 months previous, he survived the 1999 Gölcük earthquake, an expertise that set the tone for his resilient and decided character.
Rescued from the particles by family members, his story is one in every of overcoming adversity from the very starting.
Aktürkoğlu’s soccer profession started at Gölcükspor’s youth academy earlier than shifting to Hisareynspor at 15.
His expertise shortly drew consideration, resulting in a transfer to Istanbul Başakşehir’s youth ranks in 2015.
Despite a rocky begin, together with mortgage spells at Bodrumspor and Karacabey Belediyespor, Aktürkoğlu’s breakthrough got here with TFF third Lig facet 24Erzincanspor, the place standout performances, particularly in Turkish Cup matches towards Beşiktaş, paved the best way for his switch to Galatasaray in September 2020.
Aktürkoğlu made a right away affect at Galatasaray, turning into a significant participant and serving to safe two Süper Lig titles.
His contributions prolonged past home success, with memorable appearances within the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, together with a “Goal of the Week” accolade for a shocking strike towards Manchester United.
Source: www.dailysabah.com