Osimhen loan move not entirely football related – Hamsik

Former Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik has suggested that Victor Osimhen’s loan move from the club to Galatasaray is not an entirely football-related transfer, adding that he feels sorry the Nigeria international left Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Osimhen joined Galatasaray on a season-long loan after failed moves to Chelsea and Saudi giants Al Ahli on transfer deadline day.

The loan deal is without an option to buy, while the 25-year-old is also said to have signed a contract extension with Napoli until 2027.

The 25-year-old was frozen out of Napoli’s squad after his failed transfer, with the Galatasaray move offering him a route back to first-team football.

In place of Osimhen, Napoli secured the services of Romelo Lukaku, and Hamsik believes the club’s transfer dealings have been convincing.

“I’m sorry Osimhen left, but it’s probably not entirely related to football,” he said.

“I am not involved in this, and Napoli signed a valuable replacement. Lukaku is a top striker and can easily score 20 goals.”

Osimhen signed a contract extension with the Italian club last December through 2026 with a reported release clause of €130m.

Osimhen was the subject of considerable transfer interest from around Europe this summer, but Chelsea’s and Paris Saint-Germain’s attempts to sign the forward fell through.

The player was also heavily linked with Al Ahli, with sources telling ESPN that Napoli had accepted an €80m offer from the Saudi Pro League side, but Osimhen expressed doubts about leaving European football.

Napoli also requested an additional €5m, which infuriated the Saudi Arabians.

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