Galatasaray

Switch mediator George Gardi explains how he needed to ‘persuade’ Victor Osimhen to hitch Galatasaray, why Napoli received short-changed at €75m and golf equipment who supplied €10-15m greater than the discharge clause.

It was an actual shock when the Nigeria worldwide , when the Turkish switch window was the one one nonetheless open.

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Napoli had tried to barter gross sales to Premier League and Saudi Professional League groups, however with out success, and would in any other case have discovered themselves caught with an sad participant.

When the mortgage expired in June 2025, Galatasaray , and it was Gardi on the centre of these negotiations.

How Osimhen left Napoli for Galatasaray

NAPLES, ITALY – MAY 11: Victor Osimhen of SSC Napoli stands disillusioned in the course of the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Bologna FC at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Might 11, 2024 in Naples, Italy. (Photograph by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Pictures)

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about these offers and revealed the extent of his affect.

“On the finish of the market final summer time, I known as the coach and the membership to suggest this participant, and so they thought it was a joke,” confessed the consultant.

“They didn’t take me significantly. Victor Osimhen, probably the greatest strikers on this planet, why would he come to Galatasaray at 26 years previous? Why would Napoli give him?

“It was in the direction of the top of the market. Folks say luck, probability, but it surely was no luck, no probability. It occurred with Icardi, it occurred with Davinson Sanchez, it occurred with Zaniolo, all these gamers arrived on the finish of the market.

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“All these huge gamers are monitored by me. The final days of the market something can occur, some particulars in contracts can get cancelled.

“When the market completed and different offers collapsed, I stepped in and I had a transparent plan. I had a number of hours to execute the plan.”

Osimhen had signed a brand new contract with Napoli with a launch clause reported to be round €110m and an enormous wage, though the Partenopei went into that summer time believing he can be offered a number of months later.

When no one got here in with the mandatory determine, he was caught and that is when Gardi proposed him to Galatasaray.

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“I decreased the discharge clause from Napoli, which was over €100m, to €75m. I satisfied Victor to increase the contract for another yr, and open the doorways to a mortgage transfer.

“There have been many issues, we had been on the airport and the UEFA lists had been closing the day after, there have been issues with the contract at Napoli, he was undecided whether or not to go away or not, and I satisfied him to come back.

“I used to be considering to myself, what occurs if he doesn’t come now? There have been 1000’s of individuals already ready in Istanbul and people had been the longest two hours of my soccer profession.”

Gardi admits that Napoli had been left to remorse a few of their selections concerning Osimhen, because the €75m launch clause gave the impression to be inadequate in hindsight.

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“He had a powerful dedication to come back to Gala from the start, he had nice respect for the membership. After one yr, when the clause was at €75m, this summer time market was not the €75m of final summer time.

“Napoli had thought it was an enormous quantity on the time, however the market utterly modified this summer time. Should you have a look at the transactions out there, many had been a lot increased than €75m.

“This is without doubt one of the finest Quantity 9s on this planet, maybe probably the greatest, so to purchase him at €75m was an excellent monetary operation for the membership,” added Gardi.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY – NOVEMBER 7: Victor Osimhen of Galatasaray celebrates victory in the course of the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Part MD4 match between Galatasaray A.S. and Tottenham Hotspur at Rams Park on November 7, 2024 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photograph by Ahmad Mora/Getty Pictures)

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“This negotiation additionally lasted many months, as a result of Victor needed to resolve the place he needed to play. He might select among the many finest golf equipment on this planet, solely a few of them got here out within the press, however there have been many extra.

“He took his resolution across the starting of July and the clause was ending firstly of July, so when the clause expired immediately they obtained presents €10-15m increased than the clause.

“Victor was very robust and he mentioned I’m solely going to play with Gala. That helped us rather a lot within the negotiations. They did an unbelievable job to search out €75m to pay Napoli in a single yr, we made historical past to carry probably the greatest strikers on this planet to Galatasaray on the peak of his profession.”