Reigning African Player of the Year Victor Osimhen has pulled the curtain back on his failed transfers to Chelsea and a Saudi Arabian club on deadline day.
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The Blues and Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli were the two clubs seriously vying for the Nigerian striker's services in the final hours of the previous transfer window.
Ultimately, neither made offers that satisfied all parties involved, and he was slated to stay at Napoli until the January transfer window opened.
The Lagos native had not participated in Gli Azzurri's pre-season and was not considered part of Antonio Conte's plans, so he looked poised to sit on the bench until the new year, but at the last moment Galatasaray came in and signed the 25-year-old on loan for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign.
Osimhen has now revealed the circumstances that led to him signing for the Super Lig record champions after his mooted transfers to London and Jeddah fell through.
"I had plans to stay there [at Napoli] and wait for three or four months and leave in January [2025], but I think, for me, it was fair also to stay there because I wouldn't let anyone decide for me," he told Turkish media, as per Punch Nigeria.
"It was important for me to stay there since I didn't get the deserved move that I really preferred.
"When I received the call from the Galatasaray coach, it was really convincing. He said what he wanted to do this season and what he wanted to achieve.
"I could see what he had set for himself as a man, a coach, and a father. I think I fit in with this plan, and coming to a team with already a lot of quality players with great ambition was easy to come to as a footballer.
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"When I came, I could see how serious Galatasaray are as a club. For me, it was the right decision, but also for my family and my daughter. Coming to a city like Istanbul, one of the best in the world, it was easy."
