Okocha's Turkey exit story raises fears over Osimhen's future

Victor Osimhen has scored 61 goals in 75 appearances for Galatasaray across the past two seasons. Arsenal are reportedly preparing a bid worth more than £60 million for the 27-year-old striker, but Jay-Jay Okocha's account of his own departure from Turkey has raised concerns about Osimhen's future.

Okocha spoke about his experience at Fenerbahçe during an appearance on Mikel Obi's ObiOne podcast. The Nigerian midfielder joined the Istanbul club at 23 and became so popular that Fenerbahçe gave him Turkish citizenship and a new name, Muhammet Yavuz.

When Paris Saint-Germain pursued Okocha in 1998, Fenerbahçe refused to let him leave. Okocha eventually stopped attending training in an effort to force the move, and his standoff ended with a €12.4 million transfer to PSG in August that year.

Osimhen has built a similarly strong relationship with Galatasaray since joining permanently from Napoli for €75 million in the summer of 2025, after spending the previous season on loan at the club. His goals helped Galatasaray win consecutive Turkish Süper Lig titles in 2024/25 and 2025/26, while his status among supporters has grown rapidly.

That bond was visible after the 2-2 draw with newly promoted Çorum FK on August 14, 2026. Osimhen scored both Galatasaray goals before going to the club's ultras to apologise for the dropped points. He has also expressed his willingness to continue giving everything to the Istanbul club amid transfer speculation.

The Nigerian striker's supporters remain concerned that Galatasaray's success and affection for their leading scorer could keep him outside Europe's top five leagues. Osimhen won the 2022/23 Serie A Capocannoniere award and helped Napoli claim the Scudetto in the same season, strengthening the view that he belongs at the highest level of European club football.

Arsenal have sent a formal letter of interest, with a bid above £60 million reportedly being prepared. Galatasaray president Dursun Özbek has previously said Osimhen is not for sale and that he would reject any deal that damaged the club's Champions League ambitions, leaving the striker's next move uncertain.