Napoli have turned down Liverpool’s opening offer for Victor Osimhen, while Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk has personally called the Nigerian striker in a bid to lure him back to Turkey.
According to Valter De Maggio, the Serie A champions rejected a proposed swap deal involving Federico Chiesa and Darwin Nunez for the 26-year-old, with Liverpool eager to land a marquee forward after their Premier League title win. Manager Arne Slot is pushing to secure Osimhen despite already spending over £190m this summer on five new signings—including Giorgi Mamardashvili, Jeremie Frimpong, Armin Pecsi, Florian Wirtz, and soon-to-be-confirmed Milos Kerkez.
Liverpool value Nunez at €60m and Chiesa at €20m, seeing this as a fair trade for Osimhen, who has a €75m release clause. However, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is demanding both players plus an extra €20m in cash.
“There is a market twinning between Napoli and Liverpool,” De Maggio told Radio Goal via Area Napoli. “Liverpool want Osimhen, but Napoli are sticking to the full €75m clause. De Laurentiis wants Chiesa, Nunez, and an additional €20m for the Osimhen deal.”
The disagreement centres on Napoli’s belief that Darwin Nunez is overvalued in Liverpool’s offer. Any deal, if it progresses, is expected to be broken into three separate transactions.
Meanwhile, Galatasaray are trying to win Osimhen back after his outstanding loan spell last season, during which he scored 37 goals and provided eight assists in 41 games. Coach Okan Buruk has reportedly spoken directly with Osimhen, telling him that returning to the Turkish champions would be “the best decision of his career,” according to Fanatik.
Galatasaray, however, face competition from Al Hilal, who are reportedly preparing a €160m three-year deal worth over €40m per season. Coach Simone Inzaghi has also contacted Osimhen to make a case for the Saudi club.
Juventus are in the mix too, but because Osimhen’s €75m release clause only applies to foreign clubs, Napoli could demand more from Italian rivals.
Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal are all monitoring the situation, with Osimhen expected to weigh all his options before making a final decision.
