United Keep Faith In Osimhen Despite Galatasaray Resistance

 

 

Victor Osimhen remains firmly on Manchester United’s list of striker targets even as Galatasaray dig in against any sale, setting up one of the summer’s most closely watched standoffs between a cash conscious English giant and a Turkish champion determined to build its project around the Nigerian.

The Super Eagles forward has become the defining name in United’s search for an elite number nine, but the size of the deal continues to work against the Old Trafford club. Galatasaray have reportedly slapped a valuation of about €150m, roughly £128m, on a player they signed only a year ago, a figure that dwarfs his current Transfermarkt market value of €75m and sits well above the offers already tabled elsewhere.

That gap explains why the pursuit has cooled rather than collapsed. According to CaughtOffside, United still regard Osimhen as their dream signing to hand manager Michael Carrick a proven finisher, a description first reported at the end of May. Yet Manchester Evening News writer Tyrone Marshall has argued that the ship may have sailed, citing both the transfer fee and the heavy wages Osimhen commands under Turkey’s favourable tax regime for high earners. Galatasaray, for their part, have shown no appetite to negotiate.

The Turkish side’s stance is backed by hard commitment. They turned Osimhen’s initial loan from Napoli into a permanent transfer worth €75m in July 2025, a deal that broke the Turkish transfer record and tied him down until June 2029 with no release clause. He repaid that outlay in full. During his loan campaign he scored 26 goals in 30 Super Lig appearances as Galatasaray claimed the title and the Turkish Cup. In the season that followed he returned 22 goals and eight assists in 33 outings across competitions, driving a successful defence of the league crown and a spirited run in the UEFA Champions League.

His pedigree stretches beyond Istanbul. Osimhen was the top scorer in Italy’s Serie A in the 2022/23 season, the campaign in which he powered Napoli to their first league title in 33 years. That body of work has kept him permanently in the shop window, with Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain all credited with interest at various points, alongside Saudi Arabian clubs reportedly ready to offer packages exceeding 50m dollars a year.

Galatasaray have moved to close the door rather than leave it ajar. Reports from Turkey indicate the club rejected a verbal offer of about €120m from Atletico Madrid and later weighed two separate €120m approaches, one from Europe and one from Saudi Arabia, without softening their position. The club’s latest plan is to hand Osimhen the captaincy for the 2026/27 season, with head coach Okan Buruk said to be fully behind the idea. Should current skipper Mauro Icardi depart, Osimhen is expected to inherit the famous number nine shirt.

For United, the striker question is only one strand of a broader rebuild under Carrick, whose own rise has been swift. The former United midfielder took interim charge in January 2026 after the sacking of Ruben Amorim, won 11 of his 16 league matches while losing only twice, and lifted a side that had finished 15th the previous season to a third place finish and Champions League qualification. Victories over Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea during that spell persuaded the hierarchy to reward him with a permanent two year contract in May.

The club has already been busy in the market. United have completed the arrivals of Andrey Santos from Chelsea for £50m and Youri Tielemans, whose £35m release clause at Aston Villa was activated, a combined £85m outlay that matches the single fee Tottenham Hotspur paid for Mateus Fernandes. Goalkeeper Karl Darlow has joined to provide cover for first choice Senne Lammens, while the 18 year old winger Tynan Thompson has been recruited as a long term attacking prospect. According to The Athletic, United are planning as many as three more signings before the window closes, prioritising a striker, a combative central midfielder and a left back.

The attacking need is pressing because Benjamin Sesko, the Slovenian signed last summer, is still working back to full fitness after a shin injury that kept him out of the club’s pre season trip to Finland. Sesko enjoyed a strong debut campaign, scoring 11 Premier League goals and netting more top flight goals than any player in the second half of the 2025/26 season, but his current absence has thinned United’s options. His deputy, Joshua Zirkzee, is reportedly expected to return to Italy after struggling to establish himself.

United’s difficulties in landing first choice targets have shaped the current picture. The club missed out on midfielders Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes, then saw a move for Atalanta’s Ederson fall through after the Brazilian reportedly failed a medical, prompting the pivot to Santos and Tielemans. In attack, Robert Lewandowski is no longer an option after signing for MLS side Chicago Fire, while Jean Philippe Mateta, Eli Junior Kroupi and Dusan Vlahovic have all been floated as possibilities. Journalist Ben Jacobs reported in late June that United’s owners INEOS were also considering the experienced forwards Danny Welbeck and Ivan Toney as support for Sesko.

The midfield search continues in parallel. Bournemouth’s Alex Scott remains admired at Old Trafford despite the Cherries’ reluctance to sell and the England youth international’s decision to reject a new contract, while Roma’s Manu Kone has emerged as a leading target, with United said to have opened formal talks.

The outcome may ultimately hinge on economics rather than desire. United want a marquee striker and clearly rate Osimhen above the field, but Galatasaray’s determination to keep him, the absence of a release clause and a valuation that few clubs will meet leave the deal finely balanced. Unless the Turkish champions shift their position or United decide the premium is worth paying, the pursuit risks ending the way previous attempts have, with the Nigerian staying put and the Red Devils turning to more attainable alternatives before the window shuts.