Victor Osimhen dream crumbles as third party 'do everything in their power' to deny move

Manchester United have been dreaming up a deal for Victor Osimhen but they have quickly been dealt a reality check that could impact their chances of signing the striker not just in January, but in the summer too.

If there’s one thing that could lift the spirits at Man Utd at the moment it would be the arrival of a top-class centre-forward to get the goals to lift them up the table, with Joshua Zirkzee and Marcus Rashford both at risk of leaving this month for an upgrade to take their place.

Funds are tight at Old Trafford for January transfers, but it was recently claimed that Man Utd could sign Osimhen in a swap deal with Rashford that they might only have to pay Napoli a net sum of £2m for.

However, it seemed a difficult deal to pull off – and now there has been an additional warning about why.

Osimhen is currently on loan at Galatasaray and, although there is a break clause in that contract to let him leave for clubs like Man Utd, an update from Turkish Football states that the yellow-and-reds “will do everything in their power to rule out any move in January.”

Unsurprisingly, Osimhen has been Galatasaray’s top scorer this season, in which they lead the Turkish Super Lig standings.

Naturally, the club are keen for him to keep firing them towards glory – and their stance on his future could threaten Man Utd’s long-term plans too…

Can Man Utd sign Osimhen in the summer?

If Man Utd are made to wait for Osimhen until the end of the season – which seems likely at this stage – then even then, Galatasaray could stand in their way.

Osimhen is due to return to Napoli at the end of the season, but the report claims Galatasaray are “working towards trying to sign the striker on a permanent move.”

It would be an ambitious move for Galatasaray, who probably wouldn’t have even thought taking him this season was possible until he fell out with Napoli, saw a move to Saudi Arabia collapse and then managed to secure an escape because of the Turkish transfer window still being open.

But after seeing Osimhen score 14 goals in his first 19 games for them, Galatasaray might pose an outside threat to Man Utd and other suitors like Chelsea for the Nigeria international’s signature in the summer.

TEAMtalk understands Osimhen is focused on playing for Galatasaray and would like to finish the season there. Man Utd did recently request information on the 26-year-old and will monitor him over the coming months, but have little hope of a January deal.

Osimhen isn’t the only top centre-forward out of reach for Man Utd this month, with reports that Ruben Amorim wants Viktor Gyokeres immediately being shut down and his stance of not going for any Sporting players in January being reiterated – despite the Swedish striker’s openness to a reunion.

Man Utd transfer latest

As for what else Man Utd could have cooking, a new exit route has emerged for Rashford.

The forward seems to have no future at Man Utd under Ruben Amorim, but where he could go next remains a mystery.

A new contender for his signature, though, could be Seattle Sounders in MLS, who have ‘had an internal conversation’ about signing the 27-year-old.

Seattle Sounders have Club World Cup participation to look forward to, which could be a convincing factor behind an otherwise unlikely move.

While Amorim’s arrival has spelled bad news for Rashford, the new head coach has approved new contracts for two of his teammates.

Meanwhile, the agent of backup goalkeeper Altay Bayindir has explained what will be happening with his future this month.

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