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Top 10 transfers revealed
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In what promises to be one of the most headline-grabbing transfers of the summer, Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen has now completed a sensational move to Galatasaray on a permanent deal for a fee in the region of €75 million - a signing that obliterates the Turkish Süper Lig’s all-time transfer record. Yesterday Galatasaray teased the official announcement on social media and offered supporters the chance to live stream Osimhen's flight to Istanbul on Wednesday evening, and this Thursday confirmed the deal. The 26-year-old striker lit up Serie A with Napoli and became one of Europe’s most sought-after forwards, and is signs for Galatasaray with a staggered payment structure.
He is now poised to bring his stardom to Istanbul for the long-term, after a successful loan spell with the club last season. Galatasaray’s ambition has never been in question, but this blockbuster move underlines their growing influence in the global market. Transfermarkt looks at the implications of the potential record-breaking transfer and what Osimhen’s arrival could mean for the future of Turkish football.
Victor Osimhen set to smash Turkish Süper Lig record transfer
As illustrated in the graphic above, Osimhen has not only broken the record for the most expensive Super Lig transfer, but has utterly annihilated it. The previous mantle lied with Youssef En-Nesyri's €19.5m move from Sevilla to Fenerbahce last summer. Galatasray have paid €75m, which is the player's release clause value, but in payment terms that are expected to be over a five-year period. The deal is worth around four times more than En-Nesyri's move. A transfer on a whole new scale for the division.
The entirety of the top 10 record deals are for transfers to either Galatasaray or Fenerbahce, and the €15m mark has only ever been reached six times in the division's history. When Osimhen joined the Lions on loan last season, that sent shockwaves through the footballing world, but with it just being a temporary deal and there not being many other suitors for Osimhen at that late stage of the transfer window, it wasn't that shocking. However, now that the Nigerian has made his move to the Istanbul giants permanent, it really begins to put the Turkish Süper Lig on the map of top European football. Osimhen scored 37 goals in 41 games for Galatsaray during his loan spell last term.
Fans will be hoping Osimhen can help Galatasaray compete better in the Champions League next season. The club haven't progressed past the group stages since the 2012/13 campaign, in which they reached the quarter-final. Osimhen's permanent transfer, for such a staggering transfer fee, will have the watching footballing world taking notice. But only when Turkish clubs begin to perform better on the European stage will the division begin to get the pedigree it's fandom perhaps deserves.
