10 May 2026 16:03 BST |
4 min read
Arsenal’s interest in Victor Osimhen has been confirmed by Galatasaray, with Gunners director Andrea Berta being told just how much a deal would cost for the striker.
Berta was pictured watching Galatasaray in action earlier this month alongside the Turkish club’s president, with a belief that the Arsenal chief was obtaining information over a possible move for Osimhen.
Arsenal have had a long-standing interest in the Nigerian international but Berta is said to have baulked at the money involved in the deal, with Galatasaray vice-president insisting that Osimhen is expected to remain with the club.
“I wouldn’t sell him for €150 million, but it’s a matter for our president to decide,” vice-president Abdullah Kavukcu told HT Spor, via habersarikirmizi.com. “When you sell him, you also need to find a replacement player. That’s very important.
“The Arsenal sporting director came here recently and even he was surprised that we were paying these amounts. Their budget is €800m. We will have a budget of €500m this year.”
“Osimhen will continue. We expect to generate approximately 22 million euros from it,” he added. “The Osimhen transfer has added a lot to us; we have reaped the rewards of our ambition.”
Arsenal consider Osimhen transfer as Galatasaray costs revealed
Arsenal are believed to be keen on adding more firepower to their squad this summer and Osimhen has emerged as a target alongside the likes of Julian Alvarez and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Osimhen has regularly been linked with a move to the Premier League since his days at Napoli but he eventually left the Italian side for Galatasaray last summer for €75m after a successful loan spell.
“We dreamed, and we made those dreams come true,” Kavucku said. “Nobody in the world, not even people in Türkiye, believed we could sign Osimhen.
“There was a €90 million offer from another club. Osimhen said, ‘Even if they offered €100 million, I wouldn’t go; I’ll come to Galatasaray.’
“We can never repay our president for what he did. When I called him from Italy, I said, ‘President, I’m making my final offer. I’ll pay 40 million upfront and the rest in two installments. But most likely, other clubs will go up to 100 million.’ He believed me and said, ‘Okay, pay it and come.’
“The moment we signed him, the world press started talking about it. Napoli gave us a figure and never went below it. At that time, they asked for a letter of guarantee from us, even for cash.
“Our president came and, without a doubt, directly provided the guarantee from his company. This is not something everyone can do. This year, these payments were made, 75 million was paid.”
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