Reports from Turkey suggest Galatasaray is facing challenges in paying players’ salaries, including Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, amid a rising wage bill. However, insiders in Istanbul have stressed that Osimhen remains happy at the club.
Turkish daily Hürriyet reported that some players have not received wages for the past two to three months.
After Galatasaray’s 5–2 home win over Juventus last week, the team suffered a 2–0 defeat at Konyaspor over the weekend, prompting rumours about the club’s financial stability and squad selection. According to Hürriyet, Osimhen, who earns a net €15m per year, had not received his January and February salaries.
The striker was excused from the Konyaspor match due to a knee issue but is expected to travel to Turin for the UEFA Champions League knockout play-off second leg against Juventus. “Osimhen is said to have been reluctant to take any risks, especially considering the return match against Juventus,” the report added.
Osimhen is currently the highest-paid player in the Turkish Super Lig, followed by Fenerbahce goalkeeper Ederson (€11m) and Galatasaray teammate Leroy Sané (€9m). Fenerbahce’s Milan Škriniar and former Real Madrid forward Marco Asensio earn €8m, while Mauro Icardi takes home €6m among the league’s top earners.
Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk recently addressed the club’s high spending on transfers and salaries:
“Galatasaray’s transfer fees and salaries have been going up since last year. With Osimhen’s transfer fee and salary, you could probably put together a full team. We need to take these things into account. We brought in some very important players such as Singo, Uğurcan, Sané, and İlkay. Every team has a budget, and when you set up budgets at the start of the season, you need to follow that budget closely.”
Despite the reports, club insiders denied any issues with Osimhen’s contract. Arda Özkurt told X:
“All the news regarding Victor Osimhen — that he’s not getting paid or is unhappy — is completely baseless. Osimhen is happy at Galatasaray, there’s no issue whatsoever.”
Journalist Haluk Yürekli added that although the club’s wage structure is high, Galatasaray can meet its obligations, and the financial situation was unrelated to the Konyaspor defeat.
Another source, Nevzat Dindar, dismissed claims that Osimhen sent warning letters over unpaid salaries:
“The claim that Osimhen sent a warning letter to the club due to delayed payments is absolutely untrue. Players coming from abroad are used to delays within the legal limits (three months) and are understanding of this.”
Erdem Açıkgöz also clarified that Osimhen had already received €6m from image rights:
“Osimhen has received the full amount of the €6m image rights income. For any advertising revenue above this, a share will also go to Galatasaray. In short, there is no extraordinary problem. While Osimhen receives his salary, he also generates money for the club.”
Osimhen returned to training on Monday ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League clash against Juventus.
