Agent: Napoli Regret Selling Osimhen for €75m

Victor Osimhen’s intermediary, George Gardi, has revealed the behind-the-scenes drama that led to the Nigerian striker’s shock move from Napoli to Galatasaray, admitting the Italian club now regret letting him go for €75m.

Osimhen joined Galatasaray on loan in September 2024, when the Turkish transfer window was the only one still open. Napoli had attempted to negotiate sales to Premier League and Saudi Pro League clubs but failed, leaving them with an unsettled player. When the loan expired in June 2025, Galatasaray sealed a permanent deal worth €75m, with Gardi orchestrating the negotiations.

‘At the end of the market last summer, I called the coach and the club to propose this player, and they thought it was a joke,’ Gardi told Sky Sports Deutschland.

‘They did not take me seriously. Victor Osimhen, one of the best strikers in the world, why would he come to Galatasaray at 26 years old? Why would Napoli give him? It was towards the end of the market. People say luck, chance, but it was no luck, no chance. It happened with Icardi, it happened with Davinson Sanchez, it happened with Zaniolo, all these players arrived at the end of the market.

‘All these big players are monitored by me. The last days of the market anything can happen, some details in contracts can get cancelled. When the market finished and other deals collapsed, I stepped in and I had a clear plan. I had a few hours to execute the plan.’

Osimhen had signed a new contract with Napoli that included a release clause of around €110m, but when no club met that figure, Gardi stepped in with Galatasaray.

‘I decreased the release clause from Napoli, which was over €100m, to €75m. I convinced Victor to extend the contract for one more year, and open the doors to a loan move. There were many problems, we were at the airport and the UEFA lists were closing the day after, there were problems with the contract at Napoli, he was not sure whether to leave or not, and I convinced him to come. I was thinking to myself, what happens if he doesn’t come now? There were thousands of people already waiting in Istanbul and those were the longest two hours of my football career.’

Looking back, Gardi admitted Napoli underestimated the market.

‘He had a strong determination to come to Gala from the beginning, he had great respect for the club. After one year, when the clause was at €75m, this summer market was not the €75m of last summer.

‘Napoli had thought it was a big amount at the time, but the market completely changed this summer. If you look at the transactions in the market, many were much higher than €75m. This is one of the best Number 9s in the world, perhaps one of the best, so to buy him at €75m was a good financial operation for the club.’

The negotiation lasted months, with Osimhen weighing offers from several top clubs. ‘Victor had to decide where he wanted to play. He could choose among the best clubs in the world, only some of them came out in the press, but there were many more. He took his decision around the beginning of July and the clause was ending at the beginning of July, so when the clause expired suddenly they received offers €10-15m higher than the clause.

‘Victor was very strong and he said I am only going to play with Gala. That helped us a lot in the negotiations. They did an unbelievable job to find €75m to pay Napoli in one year, we made history to bring one of the best strikers in the world to Galatasaray at the peak of his career.’