ISTANBUL, Sept 5 — Napoli outcast Victor Osimhen has agreed a season-long loan with Galatasaray without an option to buy, the Turkish champions and the Italian club confirmed yesterday.

The 25-year-old Nigerian forward, who was welcomed by a crowd of fans on his arrival at Istanbul airport early this week, will be paid a salary of €6 million (RM28.9 million), the Turkish club said.

Napoli confirmed the loan until June 30, 2025, specifying that they had reached an agreement with Osimhen for a possible renewal of his contract until June 2027.

Osimhen had been agitating for a move away from Napoli after the club descended into chaos almost immediately after claiming their third league crown in 2023.

The team he fired to Serie A glory with 26 league goals left him off their squad list for this season, his place and number nine shirt taken by new arrival Romelu Lukaku.

Napoli went through three coaches last season and finished 10th in Serie A but Osimhen still managed to score 17 times in 32 appearances in all competitions.

Napoli looked set to cash in this summer after inserting a 130 million euro ($144.3 million) release clause when renewing Osimhen’s contract in December.

That deal, which gave Osimhen a reported net salary of 11 million euros, expires at the end of June 2026.

But neither Chelsea nor Paris Saint-Germain, nor Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Alhi, came close to both meeting Napoli’s valuation and satisfying Osimhen’s wage requirements.

Meanwhile, Napoli have been building the team for new coach Antonio Conte, bringing in seven players to revamp a stale squad.

The Nigerian international will join former Napoli player, Belgian Dries Mertens, in Istanbul and will fill in for injured Argentinian Mauro Icardi.

Eliminated in the Champions League play-offs, Galatasaray will play in the Europa League this season, coming up against Tottenham, Ajax and AZ Alkmaar. — AFP