Chelsea and PSG tried but failed to sign Victor Osimhen over the summer, with the London giants, in particular, mounting a Deadline Day push to bring the Nigerian to Stamford Bridge.
Unfortunately, both European powerhouses missed out on the 25-year-old. However, their hopes of landing him this January remain alive despite his shocking move to Turkey, where the summer transfer window closes on September 13.
After the summer transfer window closed on Friday in Europe's major league, Napoli decided to exile their wantaway striker, omitting him from their Serie A squad and stripping him of the no.9 jersey.
As a result, both the player and Gli Azzurri agreed to Galatasaray's loan offer, with Osimhen joining the Turkish giants for the 2024-25 campaign. There is no option or obligation to buy, thus making this arrangement a straight loan, with the Super Lig heavyweights covering his full salary.
However, the striker negotiated two concessions that secured his ability to join a European elite as early as this winter. According to Sky Sport Italia (as per the Evening Standard), his first order of business was lowering his release clause from €130M (£109.5M) to €75M (£63.2M).
In return, Napoli can extend his contract for an additional year (until 2027) should he fail to leave the club permanently by next summer — his previous deal ran until June 2026.
More importantly, Osimhen secured a break clause in his Galatasaray loan deal. This means a few clubs could acquire his services this January despite moving to Istanbul on a season-long loan.
However, there are conflicting reports as to which teams can trigger that break clause, with A Spor claiming they are 10 teams while Turkish reporter Kagan Dursun believes that figure to be eight. Regardless, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Bayern Munich are on that list and the same is thought to be true for PSG and Real Madrid.
The Nigerian reportedly favored a move to the Parc des Princes but it remains unclear whether PSG will reignite their interest following their impressive start to the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season.
Meanwhile, Arsenal's stance remains uncertain. The North London giants were loosely linked, but with Kai Havertz impressing up top for the Gunners, Mikel Arteta might not see the need for another striker.
