Reason Victor Osimhen Snubbed Man United, 1 Top La Liga Club for Galatasaray Emerges
- Victor Osimhen is close to joining Galatasaray permanently after the club reached an agreement with Napoli
- Osimhen chose to continue with the Turkish champions despite transfer interest from Al-Hilal and Juventus
- A source close to the player has cleared the air on the rumours that top European clubs were not interested
Victor Osimhen turned down two big European clubs to join Galatasaray despite social media rumours that those clubs were not interested in him.
Napoli and Galatasaray have an agreement in principle for the permanent transfer of Osimhen to the Turkish club, a deal that could reach €80 million if the add-ons are met.
Source: Getty Images
The Super Eagles forward spent last season on loan in Turkey. As noted by Transfermarkt, he scored 37 goals and provided eight assists in all competitions.
He was crucial to the club winning the Turkish Super League and Ziraat Turkish Cup trophies, prompting them to pursue a permanent move.
There were expectations that there would be a long list of clubs battling for his signature this summer, but only Galatasaray and Al-Hilal showed concrete interest.
According to Football Italia, Osimhen turned down multiple proposals from the Saudi Pro League club, worth up to €45 million per season.
Why Osimhen rejected top European clubs
Football fans peddled rumours on social media that the striker has been blacklisted by top European clubs, possibly because of his Instagram outburst against former Super Eagles coach Finidi George.
Nigerian journalist Buchi Laba, who is close to the player, debunked this to Nigeria Info FM, labelling it as the biggest lie ever told, though he refused to mention names for confidentiality.
“I can tell you for a fact that Victor rejected two of the biggest European clubs, one in England and one in Spain,” he said.
He added that the sporting director of an unnamed top club in La Liga visited the player three times in Istanbul to speak to him during the season.
The on-air personality claimed that three clubs in Europe were ready to match his wages in Napoli, before mentioning Manchester United as one of the clubs asking him to lower his wages.
“They wanted him to take a wage cut; they were so keen, he was their first choice. He was on €12 million and they were offering him a figure not close to that,” he added.
Source: Getty Images
He further disclosed that he told all interested clubs he would rather not play football than take a wage cut to play for any club.
“If a club like Napoli can pay him €12 million and Galatasaray are paying him far more than that for this season, why does one of the biggest clubs in the world want him to take a pay cut?” he concluded.
Galatasaray will reportedly pay him €16 million per season on a three-year contract with a bonus of €5 million depending on some variables.
Galatasaray plan for Osimhen's arrival
Legit.ng reported that Galatasaray have planned for Osimhen's arrival in Istanbul this week to complete the formality of his transfer to the club.
The two clubs are still in the process of exchanging documents after full agreement, but the player can proceed to have his medical and other formalities.
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Source: Legit.ng
