Osimhen wins Barcelona over: Blaugrana consider blowing whole transfer budget on striker

Robin Bairner

• 14 Mar 2026 08:19 CDT
• 3 min read

News

Barcelona will try to sign Victor Osimhen from Galatasaray in the summer, with the Nigeria star described as the “perfect” striker for the Camp Nou side.

Osimhen’s stellar performances for Gala in both the Super Lig and Champions League have seen a wave of transfer speculation gather behind the 27-year-old striker.

Despite his club ready to put a €100 million asking price on his head, Barcelona are considering blowing their whole summer budget on the prolific scorer.

Current ETV

Victor Osimhen

F (C)

Galatasaray

Victor Osimhen

F (C)

Galatasaray

€77M

ETV Range

€69.3M - €84.8M

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Osimhen seen as Lewandowski’s Barcelona heir

Barca approach the summer searching for a new striker. Robert Lewandowski is likely to leave at the end of his contract, with the Poland hitman destined to move to MLS.

Hansi Flick’s side will be hard pushed to find a striker capable of replacing the 115 goals in 181 goals that 37-year-old has scored in his career with the Blaugrana, but in Osimhen they believe they have found a candidate who can have a similar impact.

The Nigerian has “won over” Barcelona, according to Fichajes, which claims that he is now the top target for the role.

Can Barcelona afford €100m?

The catch is that Galatasaray are set to demand €100m for Osimhen.

Barcelona have typically been reticent to make such big deals in recent seasons because of Financial Fair Play (FFP) restrictions imposed on the club. Indeed, the biggest transfer they have made in the last five years is the €58m they spent on Raphinha.

Osimhen would therefore represent a break-the-bank investment for the Blaugrana, whose total transfer budget for the summer is reportedly matched by his asking price.

The player’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV), meanwhile, sits at €77m.

If they were to complete this deal, what would happen to Marcus Rashford, and how would other areas of the squad be strengthened?

Further complications

Osimhen’s wage demands are known to be lavish, and this is an area that Barca have been trying to cut back on. His Galatasaray salary, which is estimated to be around €21m per year, is substantially lower than the €33m Lewandowski recoups annually, suggesting this should not be a deal breaker.

The other major issue to consider is that it is the current president Joan Laporta who has given the green light for this move, the report states.

He may not be Barcelona’s president by the summer. The presidential elections will be held on Sunday, with his rival Victor Font going public on his transfer talks with Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.

Victor Osimhen to Barcelona: The assessment

Osimhen to Barcelona seems an unlikely deal at this stage. It would be out of character for Barca to go so big on one player, and while the Nigerian is a striker fit to grace any side in the world, there are simply too many areas of the Blaugrana team that need strengthened – out wide and in the middle of their defence – to allow them to gamble on one player alone.