Former Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo has for the umpteenth time admonished Victor Osimhen to cash in on the lucrative opportunity in the Saudi Premier League for at least two years before staging a return to Europe.
Over the past three seasons, Napoli-owned Osimhen has been at the centre of constant transfer speculation with top European clubs such including Arsenal, Manchester United, Juventus, Chelsea, Bayern as well as wealthy Saudi Arabian teams.
Last season, he turned down a big-money move to Saudi side Al-Hilal and has also turned down over tunes from Al-Hilal in the current summer transfer window.
He now reportedly close to signing for Galatasaray where he flourished on loan last season even as the Turkish side are still locked in negotiation with Napoli.
While many fans and pundits believe that at just 26, Osimhen is too young to move to Saudi Arabia and cash in, Ighalo holds a different view.
“I want to share my opinion, even if people criticize me for it — I don’t care,” Ighalo said during a podcast with former Big Brother Naija housemate, Teddy A. “Victor Osimhen was the Serie A top scorer at Napoli and helped them win the league for the first time in 33 years. He’s now won the league again in Turkey with Galatasaray and finished as top scorer. He has also been named African Footballer of the Year.
“My advice to him is simple: go to Saudi Arabia, play for two years, secure the bag, and then come back to Europe. It won’t end his career — it will only set him up even better for the future,” noted the former Manchester United striker who has spent the past four years in the Saudi Pro League.
Incidentally, Napoli and Galatasaray are yet to finalize a deal for Osimhen even after the Turkish champions reportedly provided the vexed of credit to ensure that they will pay in full for the impending sale of the Nigeria international.
For the second summer in a row, Osimhen has been seeking a permanent move away from Napoli.
After seeing a deal collapse on deadline day last summer, Osimhen ended up on loan with Galatasaray and is now pushing to return to Istanbul on a permanent basis.
The €75m release clause in the player’s contract has since expired, but Galatasaray and Napoli are proceeding with a deal for the same price tag regardless.
Napoli would like an up-front fee close to the €50m mark and for the remaining €25m to be paid by the end of 2026 at the latest.
According to Football Italia , Napoli could eventually settle for a slightly reduced initial fee, as long as the rest of the €75m price tag is paid within a year.
The two clubs were in contact again on Wednesday to discuss the deal, and Galatasaray have since informed Napoli that they are now able to provide a letter of credit from the bank, which will ensure that the Partenopei are paid in full for Osimhen’s services.
While the two parties are moving ever closer to closing a deal, it could still take a few more days due to the bureaucratic processes involved.
Alfredo is one of the most highly respected football journalists in Italy, breaking many of the biggest transfer news stories, interviewing the very best players and managers and presenting his analysis on numerous football programmes on Italian television.
