ISTANBUL, TURKEY – NOVEMBER 7: Victor Osimhen of Galatasaray celebrates victory during the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 match between Galatasaray A.S. and Tottenham Hotspur at Rams Park on November 7, 2024 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images)
Okan Buruk insists Victor Osimhen pushed to leave Napoli and because ‘the Galatasaray fans gave him the kind of love he’d never experienced before.’
The centre-forward is set to finally complete his permanent transfer to Galatasaray for €75m after the two clubs agreed on a payment structure and adequate financial guarantees.
It comes after he spent last season on loan in Istanbul, where he scored 37 goals and provided eight assists in 41 competitive appearances.
Osimhen only wanted Galatasaray
“We will complete the transfer very soon, I believe it will be finalised as soon as possible,” coach Okan Buruk told Tivibu Spor in Turkey, via Sports Digitale.
There were more lucrative proposals on the table from Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, who Napoli would’ve preferred to sell to for immediate payment, but the player was determined to stay in Istanbul.
Okan Buruk: “Osimhen’i bekliyoruz. Osimhen’i ikna etmek çok önemliydi, bunu Galatasaray taraftarı yaptı! Biz aynı şeyi Icardi’de de görmüştük. Osimhen çok büyük paraları reddetti.”
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“Galatasaray fans gave Osimhen the kind of love he’d never experienced before. That is why I always believed that he would stay. He hasn’t let us down either.
“Everyone put in a great deal of effort to secure this deal, starting from our President, but the most important part was done by the fans. They made Osimhen experience something special.
“We saw a similar outcome with Mauro Icardi’s transfer here.”
Osimhen was given a very warm welcome by Napoli fans when first arriving and became a hero when helping them to their first Serie A title in over 30 years, as well as being crowned Capocannoniere.
However, after agreeing a new €10m per season contract, he told the club that he wanted to move on and struggled to find anyone ready to pay the €110m release clause.
His move on loan to Galatasaray in September 2024 was because the other transfer markets had shut and he faced the prospect of sitting in the stands for at least six months.
Image:Getty
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