Victor Osimhen is determined to join Manchester United, and exploratory talks are believed to have taken place for the striker, who is currently on loan at Galatasaray from Napoli.
The Nigerian international, 26, moved to Turkish giants Galatasaray after failing to secure a summer move to Chelsea. He fell out with Napoli last year despite signing a contract extension in December 2023, which was believed to have included a €90 million release clause. The striker’s disinterest in leaving for the cash-rich Saudi Pro League resulted in Napoli freezing him out of their squad before later shipping him out on loan to Turkey.
Victor Osimhen has been on fire in the Turkish Super Lig, netting 13 goals in 16 appearances for Galatasaray, who are at the league’s summit. This month, they could lose the 26-year-old if Manchester United intensify their interest in him to bolster the attacking unit under new boss Ruben Amorim’s disposal.
Should the Red Devils make a concrete move to sign Osimhen and his loan is cut short, Galatasaray stands to take €10 million of the €90 million fee—which is also the release clause in his Napoli contract. As a result, Man United reportedly will need to pay €75 million to trigger the centre-forward’s release clause at Napoli.
Manchester United desperate for firepower
Manchester United struggled to score goals last season under former boss Erik ten Hag. They could only muster 57 goals in 38 Premier League games and finished eighth in the table.
To address the lack of goals, they signed Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna in the summer. However, Zirkzee has endured a torrid time at Old Trafford, scoring just three goals in 20 Premier League games. And after just six months, the Dutchman has been linked with a move back to Italy with Juventus vying for his signature on loan.
Even if Zirkzee ends up staying at Old Trafford, Ruben Amorim is in dire need of a ruthless goalscorer. Rasmus Hojlund has scored only two Premier League goals this season, which is nowhere near good enough for a club of Man United’s stature. In addition, there is huge speculation surrounding the future of Marcus Rashford, who has been frozen out of the squad in recent weeks.
A proven goalscorer is the need of the hour, and Osimhen fits the profile like a glove. A swap deal between Osimhen and Rashford has been mooted, and the Red Devils could be attracted to opt this route to save money as well as land one of the prolific strikers in Europe.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
