Despite swirling rumours of Premier League interest, Nigeria’s dynamic goalscorer Victor Osimhen completed a move from Napoli to Turkish giants Galatasaray this summer, following a fruitful loan spell last season that saw him continue his lethal finishing in European competition.
With many English clubs scrambling for centre-forward reinforcements in the 2025 summer window, should any of the Premier League’s bigger names have taken a run at Osimhen instead?
You can see how these moves have impacted Premier League odds on FIRST.
Liverpool, for example, have opted for Hugo Ekitike, shelling out significant funds for the young French striker. Reports peg the deal at around £69 million for the 23-year-old, whose senior goal return still remains modest in Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga.
While Manchester United have secured Benjamin Sesko – a promising 22-year-old Slovenian forward with a solid scoring record in the top flights in Austria and Germany – he remains a work in progress at the highest level; plenty of potential but far from the finished product.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have turned to Viktor Gyokeres, fresh off two outstanding seasons in Portugal with Sporting, yet it remains unclear whether his scoring exploits in the Primeira Liga – albeit impressive – can translate seamlessly to both the Premier League and Champions League arenas.
And Newcastle United find themselves still hunting a new centre-forward amid reports that Alexander Isak, heavily linked with a big-money exit to Liverpool (with speculative price tags hovering around £150 million), is likely to depart.
The Magpies are reportedly eyeing alternatives like Ollie Watkins, Yoane Wissa and Randall Kolo-Muani. Watkins, at 29, brings experience but is arguably on the back half of his peak years, while Kolo-Muani has promise but less elite-level production and Wissa – who produced a career-best 19 Premier League goals last term – is not regarded as a striker of the highest calibre.
Against this backdrop, Osimhen would have stood out as the most compelling option. At 26, he is entering his prime. Over his stints at Lille and Napoli, he’s demonstrated elite output, regularly hitting 20-plus goal seasons in Ligue 1 and Serie A and thriving in both Champions League and Europa League campaigns. And even during last season’s loan at Galatasaray, he continued that rich vein of form, showcasing consistency and lethal finishing across multiple European competitions.
Comparing that to Ekitike, whose senior goal returns remain modest, or Sesko, who has yet to deliver regularly, or Gyokeres, whose numbers were achieved in a league widely seen as less physically demanding – it’s clear that Osimhen’s proven record in top-level football offers a safer bet.
Furthermore, the financial calculus is delicate. While Isak will demand an exorbitant fee around £150 million, Galatasaray secured Osimhen for less than half that figure (£65 million). His wage demands were indeed a notable obstacle; reports suggested Galatasaray satisfied substantial salary requirements to complete the deal. Yet one could argue those compensation expectations are merited by his calibre and sustained output at the highest levels.
For clubs pursuing immediate impact, guaranteed goals and a striker who thrives both domestically and in Europe, those costs would have been justified. Top sides like Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle are balancing investment, long-term potential and immediate return. Osimhen could have delivered the latter with exceptionally high probability.
So, as the Premier League’s top sides make their strategic plays this summer, the question remains: could they have done better than Osimhen?
With his elite-level scoring record, prime-age profile and Champions League pedigree, he would likely have offered more immediate and proven firepower than the alternatives they chose. Only time will tell if those clubs rue that decision, but on form and consistency, the case for having signed the Nigerian marksman is undeniable.
By Ryan Baldi
