Arsenal have discussed the future of Victor Osimhen with Galatasaray, but club president Dursun Ozbek is reportedly ruling out a sale.
During talks between Arsenal and Galatasaray over Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri, Matt Law reports for The Telegraph that the topic of Victor Osimhen’s availability was raised.
Law writes that it’s unclear whether Arsenal’s Andrea Berta suggested the move, or whether the striker was offered to the Gunners.
Simon Jones reports for the Daily Mail that Arsenal did discuss signing Osimhen, but talks have not progressed. Sami Mokbel confirms for the BBC that Osimhen is indeed understood to have been discussed by representatives of the two clubs.
Sebastien Denis of Foot Mercato framed things more emphatically, claiming Osimhen is Mikel Arteta’s top priority and that Arsenal are convinced they can do a deal. Denis adds that Galatasaray haven’t set a price, but want to recoup their initial investment in the player.
But reports in Turkey are much more pessimistic about the possibility of a transfer.
Ibrahim Seten reports for 343 Digital that Galatasaray club president Dursun Ozbek has said that no matter how much money is offered, he’s not selling Osimhen.
Fellow Turkish outlet Sami Yen Gundem claims Osimhen will definitely and clearly continue at Galatasaray, despite the offers he’s received.
Arsenal are clearly on the lookout for a forward this summer, and Osimhen has long been touted as one of the best around.
The player has reportedly had a falling-out with his club over finances, and he often has on-field arguments with coaches and teammates, so the question marks around him stem more from that side of things than his ability.
But the question of whether a deal would still be worth doing is irrelevant if Galatasaray are truly refusing to sell at any price.
- Former Gunner joins Everton in deadline-day moveEverton completed the signing of former Arsenal player Ainsley Maitland-Niles on deadline day, with the 29-year-old signing a three-year contract.
- Is Gabriel Martinelli still joining Al-Hilal from Arsenal?Gabriel Martinelli’s transfer from Arsenal to Al Hilal still hasn’t been confirmed after Tuesday’s Premier League deadline day, so is the move still going ahead?
- Ex-Arsenal 26yo to complete post-deadline-day transfer to FeyenoordReiss Nelson has completed a free transfer move to Feyenoord after departing Arsenal via a mutual contract termination, according to a report.
- Failed Everton transfer has implications for Arsenal & ChelseaFolarin Balogun’s transfer to Everton fell apart late on deadline day, denying Arsenal a sell-on fee and seemingly causing significant problems for Chelsea in the process.
- What happened with Arsenal target Malick Fofana?Malick Fofana ended up joining Sunderland on transfer deadline day, after a whirlwind 24 hours during which he looked set to join three different clubs.