Victor Osimhen could finally get his Premier League transfer – after a surprising club has started talks just one week before the start of the season.
After a summer filled with World Cup football, the 2026/27 season is fast approaching. Reigning champions Arsenal face newly promoted Coventry in their opening match.
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As always, the transfer window has been hectic. Twice this summer, the British transfer record has been broken:
- Elliot Anderson went from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City for £116 million.
- Then Morgan Rogers broke the record when he went from Aston Villa to Chelsea for 117 million.
Now, an even bigger transfer could be on the horizon – because Osimhen could finally be on his way to the Premier League, after Arsenal have started talks with Galatasaray.
Martinelli and Nwaneri in play – Osimhen heading in the opposite direction?
According to The Telegraph , Osimhen appeared during discussions about Galatasaray’s interest in Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri.
So far this summer, Galatasaray have made a £38.4 million bid for Martinelli – who looks set to be sidelined following the signing of Christos Tzolis. They have also expressed interest in Nwaneri.
During the negotiations for both transfers, the possibility of Osimhen going to Arsenal was discussed. It is unclear if it was Arsenal’s sporting director Andrea Berta who mentioned the Nigerian – or if he was offered as part of Galatasaray’s pursuit of Martinelli and Nwaneri.
According to the report, Arsenal have had a long-standing interest in Osimhen – but see him as second on their wish list, behind main goal Julián Álvarez.
The problem? Atlético Madrid are holding on to a price tag of over £100 million for Álvarez. Then Osimhen could be a far more manageable option for Arsenal – especially if he can strike a deal involving Martinelli and Nwaneri.
The 27-year-old scored 22 goals and had 8 assists in 33 appearances for Galatasaray last season.
Osimhen’s decision: “Willing to cut wages”
Throughout his career, Osimhen has been strongly linked to the Premier League. Both Tottenham and Chelsea are said to have been interested on deadline day before the 2024/25 season.
It is therefore no surprise that he is reportedly very interested in going to Arsenal – if the champions agree with Galatasaray.
But in order to achieve this, he will probably have to accept a significant pay cut. He reportedly earns £308,000 a week today.
Should he go to Arsenal with such a salary, he would immediately become the club’s highest paid player by far – ahead of Bukayo Saka’s 300,000. He would also earn 108,000 more a week than Viktor Gyökeres, who arrived as a striker last summer.
In fact, £308,000 a week would put Osimhen third in the entire Premier League payroll – behind only Virgil van Dijk (350,000) and Erling Braut Haaland (525,000).
One of the biggest bombshells of the summer?
With one week left until the start of the season, this could be the wildest transfer in the summer window. Arsenal are looking for reinforcements to defend their gold – and Osimhen could be the answer.
The question is whether Galatasaray will agree to a deal – and whether Osimhen is willing to sacrifice wages to finally get a chance in the world’s toughest league.
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