“Anything transfer will be later” — Victor Osimhen’s friend reveals

By Monsurah Olatunji

Amid the ongoing transfer saga of Nigerian footballer Victor Osimhen, his close friend and Nigerian radio sports presenter, Buchi Laba, has shed light on how Napoli frustrated every club that made an attempt to sign the Super Eagles star.

According to Laba, Chelsea was the only club that Napoli gave their attention to, but ultimately, the deal fell through, leaving Osimhen to join Galatasaray on a season-long loan instead.

Osimhen had signed a new contract with Napoli in December 2023 with the explicit intention of leaving the club six months later for a move triggered by his €120m release clause.

However, when no club came close to meeting that figure, and even cheaper deals with Chelsea and Saudi Pro League clubs collapsed on deadline day, the reigning African Player of the Year found himself in the Turkish Super Lig with Galatasaray for the 2024-2025 season.

As of now, reports indicate that Manchester United are exploring a potential swap deal that would send their out-of-favor forward Marcus Rashford to Napoli in exchange for Osimhen.

However, sources suggest that the 26-year-old striker remains unmoved by this interest. His focus remains solely on his current stint at Galatasaray, with any potential transfer put on hold until the summer window.

Osimhen has been consistently linked with a number of top European clubs, including Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Juventus, all of whom reportedly retain strong interest in the Nigerian forward. Yet, according to Laba, Napoli’s handling of the situation has been particularly contentious.

“Napoli turned down and frustrated every club interested in Victor Osimhen at the beginning of the season,” Laba shared on X (formerly Twitter).

“The only club they didn’t frustrate is Chelsea, and Chelsea ended up messing up any deal. He’s only focused on playing right now in Gala. Anything transfer will be later.”

With Osimhen continuing his performances in Turkey, it seems likely that the striker’s future will remain in limbo until the summer transfer window, when clubs may be in a better position to meet Napoli’s demands.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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