Victor Osimhen sends brutal transfer message to Chelsea

Cameron Smith

• 6 Nov 2025 06:01 CST
• 4 min read

Nieuws

Victor Osimhen seemed destined to join Chelsea for several years, but a deal simply failed to materialise and he eventually completed a permanent move to Galatasaray this summer.

The Nigeria international was earmarked as the Blues’ priority transfer target in 2024 and former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel subsequently confirmed that an agreement was extremely close to being reached before Deadline Day.

Issues over wages are believed to have been the stumbling block, while Chelsea were once again reluctant to match Osimhen’s request to earn an annual salary of €15 million this year.

As a result, despite identifying the 26-year-old as the perfect signing to elevate their attack to the next level, Chelsea opted against bringing him to Stamford Bridge for the second consecutive summer.

Over the course of the 2024 and 2025 summer transfer windows, Chelsea spent a whopping €621.1m on new signings, yet they neglected the chance to secure a proven goalscorer at the highest level.

Instead, they brought in Liam Delap and Joao Pedro this summer for a combined €99.2m. The former has endured a tough start at the club, due to injury and disciplinary issues, while the latter’s form has tailed off following an immense Club World Cup.

Osimhen, on the other hand, has continued to prove why he would’ve been the perfect Chelsea striker.

Victor Osimhen sends message

The Nigeria superstar notched 37 goals and eight assists in 41 games during a hugely successful loan stint at Galatasaray last season, and 2025-26 has been no different.

A slight ankle issue has limited Osimhen to just five Super Lig starts so far this campaign, but he has still scored on three occasions in the Turkish top flight, while his form in the Champions League has been immaculate.

After missing Galatasaray’s opening match in the competition versus Frankfurt (a 5-1 loss), Osimhen has helped Okan Buruk’s side to three consecutive victories with six goals in three matches.

The ex-Napoli striker scored the winner during a narrow 1-0 triumph over Liverpool on 30 September and he backed that up with a brace in Galatasaray’s 3-1 victory against Bodo/Glimt three weeks later.

Osimhen’s immense form in Europe then peaked on Wednesday night with a hat-trick during a 3-0 win against Ajax.

His first goal was a close-range diving header from a Leroy Sane cross, his second came courtesy of a perfectly-placed penalty into the bottom corner and a 19 minute hat-trick was completed with yet another precise spot kick.

In total, the Nigerian registered five shots on target throughout the match and tallied a whopping xG of 3.58, despite only completing five passes in his 81 minutes on the pitch.

As a result, Osimhen is the top goalscorer in the Champions League so far this season, with six strikes, and he has now scored 15 goals in 20 matches across his entire career in the competition.

By comparison, the entire Chelsea first-team squad only have a combined 21 Champions League goals to their name - when excluding the banished duo of Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk - and the Blues will no doubt be ruing their decision to allow Osimhen to join Galatasaray this summer.

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