Transfer mediator George Gardi explains how he orchestrated Victor Osimhen’s surprise €75m move from Napoli to Galatasaray, a deal he believes the Italian club now regrets.
Napoli was left regretting its decision to include a release clause for Victor Osimhen that ultimately allowed the striker to move to Galatasaray for €75m, according to transfer mediator George Gardi.
The intermediary, who brokered the deal, disclosed the inside workings of Osimhen’s surprising 2024 transfer.
According to a report from Football Italia, Gardi revealed to Sky Sports Deutschland that he had to “convince Victor to extend the contract for one more year, and open the doors to a loan move” to Galatasaray in September 2024, when Napoli was stuck with an unhappy player after failing to negotiate sales elsewhere.
When the loan expired in June 2025, Galatasaray triggered the permanent purchase clause. Gardi explained that while Napoli initially thought “it was a big amount at the time,” the valuation quickly proved insufficient.
Gardi stated: “After one year, when the clause was at €75m, this summer market was not the €75m of last summer.”
He added that the market had “completely changed this summer” and that Osimhen was secured for a relatively low fee: “This is one of the best Number 9s in the world, perhaps one of the best, so to buy him at €75m was a good financial operation for the club.”
Furthermore, Gardi claimed that after the clause expired at the beginning of July, Napoli “received offers €10-15m higher than the clause” from other clubs, but Osimhen stood firm, insisting: “I am only going to play with Gala.”