Victor Osimhen joined Napoli initially on a loan deal in 2024 before joining permanently the following season…
Italian agent George Gardi has revealed how he was able to help Galatasaray sign Victor Osimhen from Napoli, Soccernet.ng reports.
Osimhen fell out with the Napoli hierarchy after a series of events, but surprisingly penned a new contract with the Italian club just before the AFCON 2023 tournament.
After the tournament, things didn’t progress with the club, and the Nigerian forward wanted to exit the club, but the new contract with Napoli set Osimhen’s release clause in the region of €130m, and no club in Europe was willing to pay that.
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Surprisingly, Osimhen joined Galatasaray on a season-long loan after Napoli already secured the services of Romelu Lukaku, who was Antonio Conte’s priority.
With the ex-Lille striker heading to Turkey, Napoli’s Sporting Director, Giovanni Manna, mentioned his departure was best for the club.
Osimhen won the league for Galatasaray while Romelu Lukaku played a crucial role in Napoli’s Serie A triumph.
How Galatasaray signed Osimhen from Napoli
While Chelsea couldn’t reach an agreement with Napoli for Osimhen, Italian agent George Gardi stepped in to help Galatasaray broker the deal.
In an interview with Sky Sports Deutschland, the agent spoke about how the deal came to be and the extent of his influence.
“At the end of the market last summer, I called the coach [Galatasaray’s Okan Buruk] and the club to propose this player, and they thought it was a joke,” confessed the representative.
“They did not take me seriously. Victor Osimhen, one of the best strikers in the world, why would he come to Galatasaray at 26 years old? Why would Napoli give him?
Galatasaray have reached an agreement in principle with Napoli over loan deal for Victor Osimhen!
One year loan, salary covered as Napoli have accepted these conditions.
Gala’s delegation to meet with Osimhen in Napoli in next hours for final green light to the move. pic.twitter.com/Heh7SJ50Yc
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 2, 2024
Gardi went on to mention how he’d previously helped the record Turkish Champions bring in superstars from other top European leagues in their prime.
“It was towards the end of the market. People say luck, chance, but it was no luck, no chance.
“It happened with Icardi, it happened with Davinson Sanchez, and it happened with Zaniolo; all these players arrived at the end of the market.
“All these big players are monitored by me. In the last days of the market, anything can happen; some details in contracts can get cancelled.
“When the market finished and other deals collapsed, I stepped in, and I had a clear plan. I had a few hours to execute the plan.”
Gardi’s proposal to Napoli
Osimhen had signed a new contract with Napoli, featuring a reported release clause of around €130m and a substantial salary. However, Die Partenopei went into that summer believing he would be sold a few months later.
When nobody came in with the necessary figure, he was stuck, and this is when Gardi proposed him to Galatasaray.
“I decreased the release clause from Napoli, which was over €100m, to €75m. I convinced Victor to extend the contract for one more year and open the doors to a loan move.
“There were many problems. We were at the airport, and the UEFA lists were closing the day after; there were problems with the contract at Napoli, he was not sure whether to leave or not, and I convinced him to come.
“I was thinking to myself, what happens if he doesn’t come now? There were thousands of people already waiting in Istanbul, and those were the longest two hours of my football career.”
Napoli were left to regret some of their decisions regarding the sale of the Super Eagles striker, as the €75m release clause that was subsequently agreed upon seemed to be way lower than Osimhen’s value in hindsight.
“He had a strong determination to come to Gala from the beginning; he had great respect for the club. After one year, when the clause was at €75m, this summer market was not the €75m as last summer’s.
“Napoli had thought it was a big amount at the time, but the market completely changed this summer. If you look at the transactions in the market, many were much higher than €75m.
“This is one of the best Number 9s in the world, perhaps one of the best, so to buy him at €75m was a good financial operation for the club,” added Gardi.
“This negotiation also lasted many months, because Victor had to decide where he wanted to play. He could choose among the best clubs in the world; only some of them came out in the press, but there were many more.
“He took his decision around the beginning of July, and the clause was ending at the beginning of July, so when the clause expired, they suddenly received offers €10-15m higher than the clause.
“Victor was very strong, and he said I am only going to play with Gala. That helped us a lot in the negotiations.
“They did an unbelievable job to find €75m to pay Napoli in one year, we made history to bring one of the best strikers in the world to Galatasaray at the peak of his career,” the Italian agent concluded.
Victor Osimhen is the first ever Galatasaray player to score in seven consecutive games in major European competitions, breaking Burak Yilmaz’s record.
⚽⚽ vs. Tottenham
⚽ vs. AZ Alkmaar
⚽ vs. Dynamo Kyiv
⚽ vs. Ajax
⚽ vs. AZ Alkmaar
⚽ vs. Lverpool
⚽⚽ vs. Bodø /… pic.twitter.com/VCT11zYnTs— Squawka (@Squawka) October 22, 2025
Osimhen’s decision to join Galatasaray saw him ranked in the top three of the 2025 CAF Men’s Player of the Year Award.