Arsenal’s Victor Osimhen decision this summer comes with a familiar twist
Arsenal have spent this week negotiating with Galatasaray over two players moving in the opposite direction, with the Turkish champions pushing to sign Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri. According to the Daily Telegraph, those same talks turned to a striker heading toward north London, and it is not clear which side raised the possibility.
That striker is Victor Osimhen, who joined Galatasaray permanently from Napoli in July 2025 for €75 million, the largest transfer in Turkish football history, on a contract running to 2029. He scored 15 league goals in 22 Super Lig appearances last season and added seven in 10 Champions League matches, including a hat-trick against Ajax.
Galatasaray have offered around £38 million for Martinelli, while Arsenal are understood to have put Nwaneri forward at roughly €40 million. Sporting director Andrea Berta has handled the discussions with George Gardi, the intermediary who took Osimhen from Napoli to Istanbul in the first place.
Arsenal’s interest is not new, and neither is their reluctance to meet the price. They looked at Osimhen during his Napoli years and passed on the valuation. Julian Alvarez has been Mikel Arteta’s preferred target this summer, and Atletico Madrid have not shifted from their refusal to sell.
“I’m not going to talk about a player who does not belong to our club,” that was what Arteta said in late July when asked about Alvarez. “I’m very happy with the squad we have. Of course, we want to improve it further and we are actively working on that.”
Arsenal are trying to sell two attackers to Galatasaray and asking about the club’s most expensive player inside the same conversation, which is some distance from an offer. Osimhen also has three years left on his deal, so the Turkish champions are under no pressure to name a price at all.
“There’s a reason why we talk about him in every single transfer window”
With reports that Arsenal are in talks to sign Victor Osimhen, here’s a look at some of his stats 🔢 pic.twitter.com/sAoNqdnEqR
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 14, 2026
What Viktor Gyokeres’ first season says about Arsenal’s striker plan
Gyokeres arrived from Sporting CP a year ago as Arsenal’s headline signing of that window and finished his debut campaign with 21 goals in all competitions, eight of them in the first two months of 2026. We won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years with him leading the line, and Arteta shut down the exit talk around him in late July with one line: “Yes, he’s going to stay.”
Signing Osimhen would mean committing heavily to a second centre-forward twelve months after backing Gyokeres, and doing it while Alvarez is still the name Arsenal actually want. Galatasaray have shown no interest in selling the player they built the squad around.
Galatasaray paid €75 million for Osimhen a year ago and have reportedly turned down €130 million from Al Hilal this summer, so any Arsenal offer begins from the second figure rather than the first.
Gunners supporters question Arsenal front office about potential Victor Osimhen deal
Also, judging by what fans have been saying, Osimhen doesn’t seem to be the choice they really expect. Below are fans’ thoughts on the potential deal:
“Arsenal rarely make good transfer decisions. This feels like a desperate resort after series of missteps. They ought to have identified their realistic targets early enough to avoid this scenario. Before signing any player, check their attitude.” One fan wrote on X.
Another fan weighed in, noting that they “really don’t understand this obsession with a CF. We desperately need a serious player in that LW – we’re entering a very crucial season in our history knowing very well we’ve never defended the title before and if we do, then that will be another record. I still believe Berta and Arteta can & will do better”
From another angle, a fan weighed in: “Stats are fantastic only question is his temperment. Worth a go at €70m”
And finally, a green light from another Gunners fan: “You find a good reason to talk about him but the big clubs never find a good reason to sign him. Ridiculous. Even players who don’t measure up to his abilities are getting signed. And don’t tell me it’s the valuation because he’s worth every penny. My desire for him is that the breakthrough comes for him early enough so he can enjoy a bigger spotlight.”
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