Rumour Mills: Victor Osimhen reportedly rejects Juventus over wage demands

By Monsurah Olatunji

Nigerian international striker Victor Osimhen has reportedly turned down an offer from Juventus, despite the Serie A giants being heavily linked with a move for the Napoli forward this summer.

The rejection comes amid reports that several Premier League clubs have cooled their interest in the 25-year-old due to his substantial wage demands.

Juventus had identified Osimhen as a potential replacement for Dusan Vlahovic, who is expected to leave Turin in the upcoming transfer window.

The club was reportedly prepared to meet Osimhen’s release clause, despite Napoli’s known reluctance to sell top talent to domestic rivals.

While Juventus was not officially named, Turkish outlet Sabah quoted a source within Napoli confirming that the most significant offer for Osimhen came from an Italian club. That offer was reportedly declined by the player.

Turkish football pundit Bülent Timurlenk reinforced the claims, stating, “Osimhen has closed the doors to Juventus. European teams cannot pay him much anyway. If Galatasaray wants to buy Osimhen, they have to pay Napoli €75 million.”

Additional comments from another Turkish analyst suggested Fenerbahçe has no interest in signing the striker, while affirming Osimhen’s rejection of Juventus.

“I asked three to four people from Fenerbahçe’s management and they said Fenerbahçe has no initiative for Osimhen. They all denied it,” the analyst said.

“They say the player has rejected Juventus. I think his chances of staying at Galatasaray have increased.”

Osimhen’s future remains uncertain, with Napoli yet to confirm any official negotiations.

The striker scored 17 goals in all competitions during the 2023–24 season and remains one of the most sought-after talents in European football.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career 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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