Victor Osimhen's secret contract clause after Man Utd snub and Liverpool name dropped

Victor Osimhen could be on the move again this summer - but certain clubs will find it near impossible to sign him due to a hidden clause in his Galatasaray contract

Like Wesley Sneijder, Toni Kroos and Juan Roman Riquelme before him, Victor Osimhen has been persistently linked with the Premier League despite never kicking a ball in it. The Nigerian striker brought years of speculation to an end last summer when he completed a permanent move from Napoli to Galatasaray, having spent the 2024/25 season on loan in Istanbul.

For some time, a blockbuster switch to an English club felt inevitable. Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal were all, at various points, credited with serious interest - but never got anything over the line.

However, a fresh opportunity to sign him has emerged. Despite Osimhen insisting he "loves Istanbul," his admission that he does "not know what the future holds" has only intensified speculation over a potential summer exit from Galatasaray.

Some suitors, however, may find the path to his signature complicated. A little-known clause in his contract is understood to restrict a move to certain clubs, effectively ruling out specific destinations and narrowing his options in the short term.

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Secret clause

Juventus are reportedly preparing a major summer push for Osimhen. Talk of a switch to Turin intensified after the striker's refused to celebrate after scoring against the Old Lady in the Champions League last week - a gesture he later claimed was a show of respect for former Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti, now in charge of Juve.

However, Juventus' interest may amount to little more than posturing. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Galatasaray would be liable to pay a £61million (€70m) penalty to Napoli if they sell Osimhen to a Serie A side this year. That clause reportedly decreases to £53m (€60m) next year, before expiring entirely on September 1, 2027.

Such a financial deterrent makes a return to Italy highly improbable in the short term - and could hand a significant advantage to clubs in the Premier League, who would face no such obstacle in pursuing the forward. As things stand, there are no credible links to English clubs, but Chelsea could decide to reignite their interest given summer signing Liam Delap's struggles.

After all, the Blues came very close to landing Osimhen in 2024. They had all but agreed a deal with Napoli for him to join on loan with an obligation to buy clause of around £70m, but the deal collapsed due to his wage demands.

Man Utd's snub

Chelsea weren't the only English club to explore a move for Osimhen. United were repeatedly linked with the forward and had a chance to sign him in 2023 off the back of his 31-goal title-winning campaign with Napoli.

But with the Italian club holding out for a fee of around £100m, United ultimately baulked. Former Red Devils assistant Benni McCarthy has since revealed that the striker's absences for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) were also viewed internally as a major "stumbling block."

"If you spend £100m on a player, you don't want to lose him for AFCON," McCarthy told the BBC last month. "I think he would have been very successful there. But it was a big stumbling block.

"Losing him for so many important matches, the team suffers not having the main striker there. So the decision was made. Literally [a] big part was because of the AFCON and Victor Osimhen's name got scratched off - not a player of interest because of that."

Instead, United turned to Rasmus Hojlund, signing the Dane from Atalanta in a £72m deal. After a largely underwhelming two-year spell spearheading the attack at Old Trafford - yielding 26 goals in 95 appearances - Hojlund joined Osimhen's former club Napoli on loan last summer.

Liverpool namedropped

Meanwhile, Galatasaray have been paired with Liverpool in the Champions League round of 16 - the very opponents Osimhen admitted he had hoped to avoid. The Turkish giants booked their place in the knockout rounds with a thrilling 7-5 aggregate victory over Juventus in the play-offs.

After winning the first leg 5-2, Gala were favourites to advance. But Juve came roaring back in the return leg, racing into a 3-0 lead, despite being down to 10 men for much of the match, to take the game to extra time. It was Osimhen who swung the tie back in Galatasaray's favour, scoring in extra time to restore their aggregate lead before Baris Alper Yilmaz applied the finishing touch with a decisive late goal.

Ahead of the draw, Galatasaray knew they would face either Liverpool or Tottenham in the round of 16, and Osimhen made no secret of his preference. The striker said he hoped to avoid the Reds, warning that they would be "out for revenge" after Galatasaray's victory over them in the group phase back in September.

"I mean to be honest with you, meeting Liverpool now is going to be like some sort of revenge," he told CBS Sport. "Anyone we meet now... I wouldn't say much but I would like to escape Liverpool. But if they come, yeah, we're going to dig it out but it's not going to be easy.

"I mean this is Champions League, no team is easy... If you want to win you also have to play the big dogs and make a statement for yourself. We've met Liverpool but we haven't played at Anfield. If we meet them it's going to be an amazing game."

While Osimhen clearly holds admiration for Arne Slot's side, their double signing of Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak last summer for in the region of £200m effectively rules them out of any potential transfer tussle for him by default.

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