Galatasaray’s Vice President, Abdullah Kavukcu, has explained why the club decided to spend a record amount of money to bring back Nigerian star striker, Victor Osimhen.
Osimhen is now set to officially rejoin Galatasaray after flying into Turkey for his medical tests. The Super Eagles striker had an outstanding 2024–25 season at the club, scoring 37 goals and helping them win both the league and the cup.
After long talks, Galatasaray agreed to pay Napoli €75 million for Osimhen – the highest transfer fee in Turkish football history. The deal includes €40 million paid now, €35 million to be paid next year, and a 10% sell-on fee if Galatasaray ever sell him in the future.
When Osimhen arrived at the airport, thousands of excited fans welcomed him and his girlfriend, Stefanie Ladewig.
Galatasaray Explains the Big Move
Speaking about the transfer, Kavukcu said:
“My president and I believed in this from the start, back in January. We worked hard to make it happen without selling any of our players.”
He added, “We’re paying part of the money now and the rest within a year. We showed that Galatasaray has the power to make this kind of move — and we did it.”
Kavukcu also responded to critics: “Some people said we were only doing this for publicity. But now we’ve done it, and the results will speak for themselves. We didn’t ask anyone for money — we handled it ourselves.”
He called on fans to support the team and trust the club’s future plans:
“We want our fans to stay calm and believe in us. Galatasaray is a big club. We’re aiming high.”
Victor Osimhen is expected to lead Galatasaray’s push in the Turkish league and help the team compete strongly in the UEFA Champions League.