Galatasaray of Turkey striker, Victor Osimhen will have a Nigerian-born midfielder among his new teammates, if he chooses to stick with the Istanbul-based side for the coming season, as the club have signed Lesley Ugochukwu on loan from Burnley of England.
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Sports247 reports that, while Osinhem could be on his way to England this nsummer, with offers from Chelsea and Manchester United still on the table for him, 22-year-old Ugochukwu has already moved in the opposite direction.
This is sequel to a shock deal for the former Cheslea youth team player, who was Burnley’s record signing last summer, as he arrived in Istanbul on Monday from Paris, France to seal his loan move to Galatasaray, where the former England youth international will hope for a major breakthrough.
Ugochukwu flew into Istanbul on a private jet, accompanied by a top official of Galatasaray, Abdullah Kavukcu, after Burnley agreed a loan deal that allows him move to Osimhen’s club, with an option of making the transfer permanent for the former French U21 international midfielder next summer.
Burnley also inserted a clause that Ugochukwu, who cost them £25m from Chelsea last summer, will join Gala permanently if he gets 25 appearances for the Turkish Super Lig champions.
Ugochukwu, who also previously spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Southampton, told Galatasaray’s YouTube Channel: “I’m proud to be here. I’m very happy. I’ve come to a very big team. Since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to play for big clubs. Coming to this big club completes this happiness for me. I can’t wait to meet our fans and get to know everyone.”
Sports247 reports further that the battling player, whose full name is Chimuanya Lesley Ugochukwu, was born on March 26th, 2004 in Rennes, France and got his professional debut for the city’s top club, Stade Rennes on April 25th, 2021 in a 5-1 Ligue 1 win against Sporting Dijon.
Ugochukwu, who signed a five-year contract with Burnley and scored his first goal for the club in a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on October 5th, 2025, is a nephew of former Rennes and Super Eagles’ central defender, Onyekachi Apam.
