ISTANBUL, TURKEY – SEPTEMBER 21: Viktor Osimhen of Galatasaray watches the Turkish Super Big Match between Fenerbahce and Galatasaray at Urker Stadium on September 21, 2024 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Ahmad Molla/Getty Images)
Transfer mediator George Gardi explains how he had to ‘persuade’ Victor Osimhen to join Galatasaray, why Napoli shortchanged him for 75 million euros and why some clubs offered him 10-15 million euros more than his release fee.
When the Nigeria international moved to Galatasaray on loan in September 2024, it was a real surprise as the Turkish transfer window was the only one still open.
Napoli have tried to negotiate a sale with teams in the Premier League and the Saudi Professional League without success, otherwise they would have been stuck negotiating with a disgruntled player.
When his loan expires in June 2025, Galatasaray signed a deal to buy Osimhen outright for 75 million euros, with Gardi at the center of the negotiations.
How Osimhen moved from Napoli to Galatasaray
Gardi spoke to Sky Sports Deutschland about these deals and revealed the extent of his influence.
“At the end of the market last summer, I called the manager and the club to propose this player, but they thought I was joking,” the agent confessed.
“They didn’t take me seriously. Why would Victor Osimhen, one of the best strikers in the world, come to Galatasaray at the age of 26? Why would Napoli give him?”
“It was at the end of the market. People say luck, chance, but there 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 companies are being monitored by me. Anything can happen in the last days of the market and some details of the contract could be cancelled.”
“When the market closed and other trades collapsed, I stepped in. And I had a clear plan. I had a few hours to execute my plan.”
Osimhen had signed a new contract with Napoli with a release clause of around 110 million euros and a huge annual salary, but the Partenopei went into the summer believing he would be sold within a few months.
He was stranded as none of the players he needed came along and it was at this time that Gardi proposed him to Galatasaray.
“We reduced the release fee from Napoli, which was over 100 million euros, to 75 million euros. We persuaded Victor to extend his contract for another year and open the door to a loan move.
“There were a lot of problems. We were at the airport and the UEFA list was about to end the next day. There were problems with his contract with Napoli and he was wondering whether to leave or not. And I persuaded him to come.
“I was thinking, what would happen if he didn’t come now? Thousands of people were already waiting in Istanbul. Those two hours were the longest two hours of my football career.”
Gardi admits Napoli regret some of their decisions regarding Osimhen, as in hindsight the €75m release fee was not enough.
“He had a strong determination to come to Gala from the beginning and had great respect for the club. A year later when his signing bonus was 75 million euros, the market this summer was not last summer’s 75 million euros.”
“Napoli considered this amount to be high at the time, but this summer the market changed completely. If you look at the deals on the market, many were for well over 75 million euros.”
“This is one of the best number nines in the world and probably one of the best players, so acquiring him for 75 million euros was a good financial move for the club,” Gardi added.
“These negotiations went on for months because Victor had to decide where he wanted to play. He had the best clubs in the world to choose from, only some of which were in the press, but there were many others.
“He made his decision around the beginning of July and the clause was due to end at the beginning of July, so when suddenly the clause expired they received an offer that was 10-15 million euros above the clause.
“Victor was very strong and said that I would only play with Galata. That helped me a lot in the negotiations. They found us an incredible job, paying Napoli 75 million euros in one year. We made history by bringing one of the best strikers in the world to Galatasaray at the peak of his career.”
post navigation
